


Unfinished Business

by Sehun_x_Baek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Oh Sehun is a Brat, Romance, Smut, ghost whisperer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-02 06:11:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14538414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sehun_x_Baek/pseuds/Sehun_x_Baek
Summary: Seeing spirits of the dead and trying to help them with their unfinished business wasn't something that was entirely unheard of, although still rare. However, Sehun was able to take it a step further than that. He was willing to temporarily lend his own body to ghosts so they could accomplish whatever regrets they had. So far things had gone rather smoothly, that is until he helps a recently departed spirit make a little confession.





	1. A Regret from the Departed

It was faint, a whisper barely heard amongst the booming of cars and hurried footsteps on the sidewalk. The broken sound only audible during brief moments between the rolling of tires and the interrupted progression of tapping shoes as they waited at the crosswalk.

Quiet tears, belonging to a boy not over the age of sixteen. He was ignored, not one person stopping on the street to see why he was crying and offer some comfort. Left alone, hunched over a bouquet of flowers that had been left at the base of a streetlight.

Sehun watched the boy closely as he waited to cross the street. He sighed, realizing he was going to be late again for school that morning. Once he was allowed to cross, Sehun approached the boy, staring down at the flowers for a moment before speaking. There was a small photo attached to the bouquet, a photo of the boy that was hunched next to them.

“It’s all right.”

The boy turned to look up at Sehun in surprise, his tears coming to a sudden halt, “…Can you see me?”

Sehun slowly nodded, “Yes.”

The boy hesitated, his eyes dimming as he looked back over at the flowers, “I wasn’t ready…I wasn’t ready yet.”

“Few are…but I can help you if you want.”

“Help me?”

“With your unfinished business.” Sehun answered, “I’m going to be late for class though. Follow me and I’ll explain more later.”

Without asking more questions, the boy followed Sehun, already intrigued by his offer. He chased after Sehun as he ran down the sidewalk, clearly in a rush to get to his school. Sehun barely made it inside the gate before the bell started ringing.

“Shit.” Sehun grunted as he started running even faster.

The boy looked around in slight amazement as he continued to run after Sehun. He had never been to such a rich school before, and the grounds were quite impressive. They ascended a stone staircase together, surrounded by maple trees and beds of flowers. Even the bell that was loudly ringing was more sophisticated than he was used to, the sound of it similar to that of a church bell.

Once they finally got to Sehun’s classroom, the boy watched as Sehun was scolded by his teacher. It seemed like he was late quite often. He decided to sit in an empty desk, one that was luckily next to Sehun’s.

It wasn’t until lunch that they were finally able to speak to each other on the privacy of the rooftop. Sehun usually sat up there to eat by himself, enjoying the silence away from the gossiping students.

“What’s your name?” Sehun asked, chewing on a small bite.

“Doyoon.” The boy answered, “…So…How can you help me?”

Sehun swallowed his food, and then reached over for his bag, “I’ll let you use my body for a little while, to finish whatever unfinished business you have that’s keeping you here.”

“…You…You can do that?” Doyoon asked as he watched Sehun pull out a piece of paper.

“Yeah, but I have some rules.” Sehun began as he started to unfold the crumpled up piece of paper, “I’ll kick you out if you try to do any of these things.”

“That’s fine, I understand.” Doyoon answered in excitement.

Sehun sighed before reading the long list, “You can’t do anything dangerous that will risk my life. You can’t make any commitments, like getting married or buying a house. You can’t do anything illegal that might get me arrested. You can’t do anything that will cost me a lot of money. You can’t do anything sexual with his body, including kissing. But holding hands and hugging is fine.”

“Oh…Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do anything like that.” Doyoon stuttered, the items on the list far from what he had in mind.

Sehun shoved the paper away in his bag, “So, is there something you’d like to have the chance to do? I assume you’d like to visit your family, but is there anything else?”

Doyoon gulped, the regret he had immediately surfacing in his mind. If he still had his own body, he would have been blushing at the thought of it.

“…There is…one thing…”

Sehun waited for Doyoon to continue, but it seemed like he was nervous. Sehun sighed in impatience as he stared at him, “Just spit it out.”

“…I…I never got the courage…to confess my feelings…”

Sehun paused, thinking about the idea of his body being used to confess to someone. No one had ever asked him this before, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

“If I could just say those words to him…I think I’ll be happy.”

“It’s a guy?” Sehun asked as he raised his eyebrows, the thought of doing this becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Doyoon hesitated, his face scrunching up painfully as he regretted letting Sehun know it was a guy, “…Is that ok?”

Sehun took a large breath, still unsure about it, “…I don’t know…What’s his name? Maybe if I saw a picture…”

“Byun Baekhyun.” Doyoon quickly answered, a small smile creeping onto his lips at even just uttering his name.

“Byun Baekhyun?” Sehun laughed, entirely unprepared to hear that name.

“Yes, do you know him?” Doyoon asked in surprise. Considering the rich school Sehun attended, he figured Sehun would have no idea who Baekhyun was. After all, Baekhyun and himself belonged to the lower rung of society.

“Yeah, I know him.” Sehun smirked, “A small puppy, right?”

“Yes!” Doyoon’s eyes lit up as he brightly smiled, “A perfect and beautiful little puppy!”

Sehun laughed as he reached for a piece of food and put it in his mouth, “Beautiful?”

Doyoon puffed up a little, clearly irritated that Sehun had laughed at him, “Yes, beautiful. Very beautiful. Extremely beautiful. The most beautiful!”

Sehun raised an eyebrow at Doyoon’s words, recalling the memory of Baekhyun’s face. They knew each other in middle school, and although Baekhyun had an undeniable adorable look to him, Sehun would never quite use the word beautiful. Baekhyun had a more boyish appearance from what he could remember.

Sehun smirked to himself, entertaining his mind with the thought of confessing to Baekhyun. He used to tease Baekhyun daily about his short height. He wasn’t usually the type to harass someone, but when it came to Baekhyun, he couldn’t help it. Baekhyun wasn’t even the shortest in their class, but his reaction was always the best when it came to this sensitive topic. Sehun never got tired of it.

However, Sehun hadn’t spoken to Baekhyun since middle school. After Sehun’s father got a large promotion at work, his parents put him in a more affluent school. Still, he figured Baekhyun remembered him well, and most likely in a bitter way.

“All right. I’ll let you confess to him.” Sehun suddenly answered in an amused tone.

“…Really?” Doyoon slowly replied in increasing joy.

“Sure.”

“Thank you!!” Doyoon smiled.

Sehun continued smirking. He didn’t want to tell Doyoon that he and Baekhyun didn’t exactly get along well. If Doyoon knew that, he might lose courage to confess again.

“This should be fun.”


	2. A Familiar Disguise

Doyoon wasn’t blind to how handsome Sehun was, admittedly far more handsome than himself. He was already feeling more confident, thinking no one could possibly laugh at him if he had Sehun’s looks.

However, he failed to realize it wasn’t just an appearance that made someone as alluring and desirable as Sehun was. It was an attitude, a charisma, a manner in which they acted and carried themselves that completed the entire irresistible package. And this was something that Doyoon highly lacked. In fact, he was about the exact opposite.

Doyoon was well known at his school for being one of the so called nerds. Just about everything he did was awkward, from the way he talked, to the posture he walked in. 

Sehun was used to seeing himself act in a different way, considering all the spirits he had helped previous to Doyoon. Still, he couldn’t help cringing at the way Doyoon moved around in his body. He was regretting that Baekhyun was going to see him like this, it wasn’t exactly what he had pictured.

Sehun (more like Sehun’s body) approached Baekhyun’s school with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand, and a nervous smile on his face. Sehun tried to tolerate the awkward way Doyoon walked with his body, but still managed to feel embarrassed by it. Doyoon continued forward, slightly bent over with his hands in front of himself clutching onto the bouquet, his shoulders scrunched up near his ears. It was far from the way Sehun carried himself, and honestly put horrible use of his tall stature and strong frame.

Once the bell rang, students began to leave the building, and Doyoon nervously searched the crowd for Baekhyun’s face. The students that walked past him were surprised to see him at their school, recognizing his uniform and realizing he must have been rather wealthy. Still, after their initial surprise, a few of the students chuckled at him, his awkward posture overpowering Sehun’s good looks.

And then Doyoon saw Baekhyun, walking with a bright smile on his face as he spoke to his friends. Sehun noticed Doyoon’s eyes linger on Baekhyun for a long moment, and felt his heartbeat speed up thanks to Doyoon’s amplifying feelings.

_“That’s him?”_ Sehun asked in astonishment, barely recognizing Baekhyun from the image he had in his memory.

Doyoon could hear Sehun inside his mind, a strange kind of whisper in his thoughts. Although Doyoon was controlling Sehun’s body, Sehun was still there, and still very much in control. He had learned how to lower his guard enough to let spirits inhabit his body, but he could raise his consciousness at any moment and evict the spirit if he felt it was necessary.

_“Yes…That’s him…”_ Doyoon responded, nervously watching Baekhyun as he got closer and closer.

Sehun couldn’t believe it. Baekhyun really was…pretty. His hair was much longer than the short length he used to have in middle school, but there was something else that changed on Baekhyun’s appearance that Sehun couldn’t really define. Something about him was…almost glowing.

As Baekhyun arrived to where he was standing, Sehun’s body started shaking in nervous fear. Sehun noticed, and tried his best to calm Doyoon down.

_“Hey, it’s ok. You’re in disguise remember? He doesn’t know it’s you.”_

Doyoon nodded, and with a large audible gulp, stepped towards Baekhyun. Baekhyun and his friends stopped moving, staring at the tall person suddenly blocking their path. They all stared at the flowers in Sehun’s hands, and then took notice of the awkward way he was standing.

“…H-Hi…I-I..I want-wanted…”

Baekhyun’s friends all started smirking, looking over at Baekhyun once they realized he was the one being spoken to. Doyoon noticed the amused look on all their faces, and his voice seized in his throat. He stood silently, his body visually shaking.

“How do you know this rich guy?” Baekhyun’s friend Chanyeol laughed, glancing at the uniform Sehun was wearing, “I thought people from his school didn’t talk to poor kids like us.”

Baekhyun squinted his eyes, staring at Sehun with a puzzled expression as he analyzed his face, “…Sehun?”

Doyoon gulped, answering as more of a reassurance to himself than Baekhyun, “…Y-yes. That’s correct. I’m Oh Sehun.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh a little, this squeamish behavior was nothing like the Sehun he knew. He had a pretty good memory of him, the brat who never failed to mention his taller stature with a cocky smile.

“Did you come to rub in my face how you’re even taller now?” Baekhyun asked, trying to see if it would spark the old Sehun to come back.

Doyoon quickly shook his head, a panicked look on his face, “Oh n-no, n-not at all.”

Sehun was inwardly dying. This is definitely not what he had imagined. He could already see it happening, Baekhyun bursting out laughing at him. He thought it would be fun to spring a random confession on him, but it looked as though Baekhyun was going to get the last laugh.

However, to Sehun’s surprise, a warm smile grew on Baekhyun’s face as he pointed at the flowers Doyoon was holding, “Are those for me?”

Sehun had never seen such a gentle expression on Baekhyun’s face before, the brightness of his smile increasing the amount that he was already glowing. Sehun was thrown off by Baekhyun’s appearance again, the vision in his mind slowly disintegrating to be replaced by the current Baekhyun standing before him.

Doyoon didn’t answer, he only continued shaking. Sehun decided to try his best to encourage him again, hoping to shorten this torturous event.

_“Look, he’s smiling. Just give him the flowers.”_

Doyoon reached out his hands, a few petals falling off the flowers from his violent shaking. Baekhyun’s smile grew larger as he took them, bringing them to his face to smell them. His friends Chanyeol and Jongin both watched him take a long whiff, an almost apprehensive expression on their faces as they stared at him, clearly slightly unnerved by the situation.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun spoke softly as he pulled the flowers away to reveal his smile once more.

Sehun could feel the swell of happiness and affection surge through his body from Doyoon’s emotions, the smile on Baekhyun’s face making Doyoon's heart melt. However, Sehun himself was feeling a little differently. Things were quickly getting weird. Why was Baekhyun acting so nice about all this? He should be throwing those flowers in his face, not accepting them with a smile and a thank you.

_“Ok, now confess to him.”_ Sehun instructed, feeling more curious than anything else to see exactly how Baekhyun would react.

_“…I..I can’t.”_

_“Sure you can, it’s just three words.”_

_“But his friends are looking at me.”_

They were indeed staring at him, more like threatening him with their eyes. It was pretty clear that Doyoon’s presence and his little gift were highly unwelcome.

_“Just ignore them. This is a rare chance, remember? You don’t want to miss this opportunity.”_

“Did you want to tell me something?” Baekhyun asked, noticing him stalling.

Doyoon looked back up into Baekhyun’s eyes, the fear inside him growing as he looked at Baekhyun’s face.

And then, with a sudden abrupt turn, Doyoon bolted away, running as fast as he could out of the school. 

Once he was gone, Baekhyun’s friends let out a small confident laugh, pleased that Doyoon had dismissed himself. Baekhyun however was not amused, he stared off in the direction that Sehun disappeared in deep thought, still holding onto the bouquet of flowers he had given him.


	3. A Splash of Justice

“…I still can’t believe you ran away.” Sehun sighed, eating his lunch in his usual spot with Doyoon sitting beside him.

“…I’m sorry, I-I just got so nervous…”

“You’re not allowed to run away next time. That was humiliating for me…”

Doyoon quickly bowed a few times, placing his hands on his lap, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sor-”

“Stop apologizing.” Sehun suddenly interrupted, “Just promise me you won’t do that again.”

Doyoon hesitated, and obvious uncomfortable look on his face, “…I…I don’t know if I can do this…”

“Of course you can. You just want to tell him how you feel right? It’s not like you want an answer. That’s the worst part really.”

Doyoon lowered his head, his fists clenching tightly on his lap, “…Saying it…is still so hard…He was looking right at me…He’s never looked at me before…”

Sehun remained silent, staring at Doyoon as he continued to look down at his own lap.

“…He’s not perfect you know. No one is. You don’t have to be afraid of him. He has his own flaws and imperfections.”

Doyoon didn’t answer, Sehun’s words not really having an affect on him. Sehun sighed, placing down his food as he began to speak again.

“How about this…Since he can’t see you, why not follow him around during the day while I’m at school? It’s a good way to get used to being near him. Plus, you can keep track of where he’ll be going after school so I can help you. He might be hard for me to find since I don’t know where he lives or anything.”

Doyoon finally looked back up at Sehun, an intrigued look on his face, “…Ok. That’s a good idea.”

“Don’t be a creep though, give him some respect and don’t follow him in the bathroom or anything.” Sehun suddenly scolded him with a stern expression.

“I wouldn’t do that!” Doyoon’s voice trembled in embarrassment.

Sehun laughed, realizing Doyoon really wasn’t the type for that kind of thing, “Good. I’ll see you after school.”

——————————

Despite the fact that Baekhyun couldn’t see Doyoon, Doyoon stayed a distance away from him, watching Baekhyun with awe from afar. The slightest turn of Baekhyun’s head in his direction would make Doyoon duck and hide. It took a while for it to settle in that he could look at him for as long as he wanted, that Baekhyun would never notice his presence and catch him staring.

Slowly he became comfortable keeping his gaze fixated on Baekhyun, staying calm when Baekhyun turned towards him. He remained a few desks away as he listened to Baekhyun speaking with his friends, laughing casually at the jokes they made.

Their conversation was broken by the final bell of the day, and they all quickly started to grab their things to leave the classroom. Once they had gotten away from the school, it was clear to Doyoon that they had a routine. They made their way towards downtown as they continued chatting, none of them mentioning where they were going.

Doyoon watched as they entered a pizza restaurant that was already packed with lots of other students. He had heard about this place before, it was the “it” spot for all the more popular kids to go, which he had never even bothered to check out. Staying outside he continued watching Baekhyun as he and his friends tried to find an empty table.

After Doyoon had discovered where Baekhyun was going to be for a while, he decided to leave and try to find Sehun.

——————————

“Red Tomato?” Sehun asked as he walked alongside Doyoon, “I haven’t heard of it.”

“Really? I thought everyone knew about that place.”

Sehun thought to himself for a moment, trying to recall any memory of it from Junior High, “No, it must be new.”

“Well just follow me, I can take you there.”

Sehun followed Doyoon as he navigated them to the restaurant, taking a few shortcuts along the way. Once they arrived, Sehun peered through the window to try and spot Baekhyun. He noticed how crowded it was, and could already hear the loud music playing from inside. It certainly wasn’t the typical place for a rich kid like himself to hang out, and he realized he might stand out a little. After all, Sehun’s school was well known for harboring heirs of CEO’s and other high standing people of society.

“…I don’t think I’m ready yet.” Doyoon suddenly spoke as his eyes finally located Baekhyun amongst the crowd.

“Relax, you can just watch today. I need to talk to Baekhyun on my own.”

Doyoon stared at him curiously, “Why?”

“Well, after what happened yesterday, I want to clear something up.”

Sehun reached forward to grab the door, swinging it open before stepping inside. After a quick glance around the room, Sehun spotted Baekhyun and his friends in line together to get some food. Without hesitating, Sehun started to walk towards him. He was anxious to fix the humiliating encounter they had the other day.

As Sehun walked up behind Baekhyun, he intentionally bumped into him, making Baekhyun stagger a little. Baekhyun looked up to see the person who shoved him, and was greeted with a familiar bratty smirk.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you down there.”

Baekhyun paused for a moment with a mixture of confusion and irritation. It took him a while before he made a conclusion about the switch in Sehun’s behavior, and his face quickly scrunched up in annoyance.

“So it was just an act!” Baekhyun huffed.

Sehun continued smirking, glad that Baekhyun decided to make that assumption, “Maybe.”

Chanyeol and Jongin both glared at Sehun, recognizing him from the other day. They really weren't expecting to see him again, and were also caught off guard by the change in the way he was acting. Regardless, they straightened up tall in defense, not appreciating the sudden threat.

Baekhyun turned around to face Sehun, his face still covered in irritation, “You seriously bothered to come all the way to my school, after we haven’t seen each other in like four years, just to give me flowers as some kind of joke?”

“You seemed pretty happy about it.” Sehun smiled with an annoying tone in his voice.

Doyoon looked back and forth between them both in panic, noticing the increasing upset look on Baekhyun’s face, “What are you doing?! You can’t treat Baekhyun like that!”

Sehun could hear Doyoon’s frantic voice coming from behind him, but did his best to ignore him and not heed him any attention.

Baekhyun squinted his eyes to glare at Sehun, “Only because I thought it was some kind of apology.”

“Apology? For what?”

Baekhyun puffed up as he took a quick breath, “You know what, you asshole.”

Sehun laughed lightly, “Wow, a short temper to match your short height.”

Baekhyun suddenly lifted his leg and stomped his foot down on top of Sehun’s, smashing it with all his strength. Sehun cringed in pain as Chanyeol and Jongin both grabbed Baekhyun to pull him away, afraid he was getting himself into trouble with someone much larger than himself. They had never really seen Baekhyun get so worked up before.

“Baek, calm down.” Jongin whispered to him, “Who is this guy anyway?”

Baekhyun stuck out his tongue at Sehun before answering, “A huge jerk.”

Chanyeol and Jongin both glanced at each other in confusion, this was nothing like the interaction they had the other day. Baekhyun seemed so happy to receive those flowers, and they were honestly jealous, but now it seemed that their feelings were misplaced.

Sehun glanced at both of Baekhyun’s friends, not recognizing either of them from Junior High, “So what’s the deal, you couldn’t find anyone your own size to hang out with, or did you just miss having me tower over you?”

Chanyeol and Jongin both gripped harder onto Baekhyun’s arms and pulled him back as he tried to leap towards Sehun again. Sehun laughed a little, Baekhyun looking like a tiny ferocious puppy that was held back on a leash.

“You don’t have to worry, I’m used to his little puppy bites.”

Chanyeol and Jongin both stared at Sehun curiously, taking particular notice of the word _bite_. This was certainly something they had never heard of Baekhyun doing before, and honestly bothered them.

“How do you know Baekhyun?” Chanyeol finally asked, realizing Baekhyun wasn’t going to answer.

“We went to Junior High together.” Sehun answered, which surprised them both considering how rich Sehun clearly was now.

“And I was glad you left!” Baekhyun shouted back at him.

Sehun paused for a moment, a look of obvious enjoyment on his face, “Are you sure? Like I said, you seemed so happy to see me.” 

Baekhyun puffed up again, fuming for a brief moment before his eye caught someone walk past him, holding onto a large drink. He immediately reached for it, stealing it from their hands and throwing his arm in the direction of Sehun, splashing the entirety of the soda onto Sehun.

The restaurant went quiet, the music in the background the only sound as everyone was now suddenly staring at Sehun. Sehun remained still, dripping from head to toe with sticky liquid. After a long moment, he slowly stuck out his tongue to lick his lips, getting a taste of the sweet drink he was covered with.

Chanyeol and Jongin were ready to defend Baekhyun at any moment, fearful that Sehun may retaliate against him. But Sehun merely smiled, finding the moment amusing more than anything else.

“Well, I guess you win today puppy.”

Sehun began to walk away, his wet footsteps making squeaking sounds on the tile floor. He went over to the counter to grab a stack of napkins, and started to dry himself off. The students continued watching him, all of them suddenly noticing his uniform. Quiet whispers began to fill the restaurant, shocked that Baekhyun would throw a drink at someone like him.

Without giving Baekhyun another glance, Sehun left the restaurant, a pile of napkins still in his hand as he continued wiping himself off as he walked. Baekhyun stuck out his tongue at Sehun again as he walked past the window, even though Sehun wasn’t looking.

Doyoon quickly went to Sehun’s side, an upset look on his face, “Why did you do that? Why did you say all those things to him?”

Sehun smirked, reaching up to pinch some of his hair with a napkin and wipe it off, “This makes it fun again.”


	4. Four Years Ago...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed looking at the title of this chapter, this chapter is a flashback.

“Look, he’s talking to himself again.”

The girl turned her head to witness the spectacle, a smirk already on her lips before her eyes even landed on the reoccurring victim of their amusement.

Sehun heard a small chuckle, a laughter that was void of warmth or happiness. A mocking  laughter he was all too familiar with hearing. The cruel sound had even tainted the pure ringing of innocent laughter, so that any time Sehun heard a small chuckle, he assumed someone was teasing him. 

Trying his best to ignore the girls staring at him, Sehun looked back down at his book, abruptly ending his conversation with the spirit sitting next to him. Even though he’d rather not, his ears quickly honed in on the girl’s voices, eavesdropping on the conversation they were having.

“What a freak.”

“Seriously. It’s too bad he’s so hot. It’s such a waste.”

Sehun tensed up at another stab of ugly laughter. He slowly closed his book, uncomfortably gathering his things while he knew the girls were still watching him. He stood up to leave, feeling the unwanted eyes follow him out the door of the library, the laughter nipping at him before he finally escaped the hurtful sound.

He walked down the hallway silently, the spirit next to him trying to comfort him, but the words only reached Sehun’s ears in a muffled voice. Sehun felt dizzy, his senses suddenly dimming as his strength left his body. He fell to the floor, collapsing against the wall as the spirit panicked, unable to help him.

A boy walking down the hallway spotted Sehun fall, and he ran to his side to try and help him stand. Reaching out his hands, he grabbed onto Sehun’s arms.

“Leave me alone!” Sehun shouted as he shoved the boy away from him.

Sehun’s eyes remained fixated on the floor, only the boy’s shoes within his vision. Sehun expected to watch them step away from him, to be left in silence, for the boy to be disgusted with his outburst of anger and leave him there. But instead he heard the boy’s voice shout at him in frustration.

“I was just trying to help!”

Sehun lifted his head to glare up at the boy, answering him in a harsh voice, “I don’t need any help.”

There was a round softness to his appearance, which countered the tough image he was obviously trying to create with his apparel. A red cap was turned backwards on his head, which accented his adorably large ears as the brim of the hat pushed them outward. Even kneeling down, Sehun could tell he was much taller than the other student. His legs were short and stout, a contrast to Sehun’s long and slender legs.

“What are you going to do anyway? You’re too small to carry me.”

Sehun continued speaking in a dark voice, the bitter feeling from the girl’s cruel laughter still lingering over his mood.

The boy glared back at him, his expression much less threatening than Sehun’s, “Excuse me?”

Sehun pushed his arm against the wall, using it to stabilize himself as he slowly stood up. Once he was standing, he had to tilt his head downward to meet the boy’s eyes. 

“You’re a shrimp.”

The boy’s mouth parted slightly as he furrowed his eyebrows in surprise at how rude Sehun was being.

“Well you’re a jerk.”

Sehun remained still as he continued staring into the boy’s eyes, reflecting on his words. He knew the boy was right. He was attacking someone else in some kind of way to cope with the pain he was feeling.

But unlike himself, this boy was actually fighting back. He wasn’t standing for Sehun’s insults. Even though he was small, he clearly had a powerful spirit that wasn’t easy to break.

Sehun admired it, he wanted that spunk, that strength. He had been taking the abuse silently for too long, letting it eat him up inside. The energy burning in the boy’s eyes was already giving Sehun the strength he desired. He wanted to keep going, keep feeding off the power from this boy.

“I’m sorry, what was that? It’s hard to hear you from up here.”

The boy clenched his fists, his eyes becoming more furious, “Well get off your fucking high horse then!”

Each time the boy shouted back at Sehun, it sparked some fire inside him. A will to fight. A smirk grew on Sehun’s face, and he suddenly knelt down, obeying the boy’s demand so that he was at the same level as him.

“So this is how you see the world?”

The boy stared at him for a long moment, clearly fuming until he eventually let out an irritated breath and turned to walk away. Sehun smiled as he watched him stomp off. The boy had no idea what an effect their argument had on Sehun.

Sehun quickly rushed back to the library, walking at a face pace towards the girl’s table. The girls looked up at him in surprise, their pencils coming to a stop from doing their work as he approached their table.

“I’ve listened to all the crap you’ve said about me for a long time now. So why don’t we just get it all out of the way? Seems like it could save you a lot of time.”

The girls looked at each other uncomfortably, not sure what they should do. Sehun stepped back casually and sat on the table behind him, still staring at the girls.

“What’s wrong? Go ahead, I’m listening.”

The girls looked down at their papers, trying to avoid eye contact with Sehun. There was an awkward silence until Sehun started speaking again.

“Nothing to say?”

“…We need to go.” One of the girls answered as she quickly grabbed her things, the other girl instantly copying her.

In a short moment, they were rushing out the door, leaving Sehun sitting alone at the table. Sehun took a deep breath, a smile growing on his face. 

It was at that moment he made two promises to himself. 1: To never let anyone treat him that way again. 2: To find the boy with the red cap.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

It didn’t take long for Sehun to find him again, and after a little research, discovered his name was Byun Baekhyun. He was determined to make frequent visits to Baekhyun, to continue their heated arguments. Not because he got joy out of being cruel to someone, but because no matter how he was feeling, what he was going through, fighting with Baekhyun always revitalized him.

He never wished to bring Baekhyun any misery, and he wouldn’t keep doing it if he ever noticed Baekhyun actually getting hurt by it. But each time he witnessed a small smile creep onto Baekhyun’s lips whenever they encountered each other, a playful attitude about him whenever they yelled at each other. He could tell Baekhyun was also having fun with it, an easy excuse to blow off some steam.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun closed his locker, only to be startled by the person standing next to him that was previously hidden by the door.

“Oh look, it’s a rare species of giraffe called asshole.” Baekhyun sneered.

Sehun smirked, his body casually leaning against the adjacent locker, “Hey, there’s something that I’ve been really curious about. When it rains, are you the last person to know about it?”

Baekhyun gave him a spiteful smile, “Cute, did you look that one up?”

Before Sehun could make another witty remark, Baekhyun turned to leave, not wanting to waste more time talking to Sehun. Sehun called out to him as he remained relaxed against the locker, watching Baekhyun join up with one of his friends and walk into the crowd of other students.

“Try not to get trampled!”

Baekhyun’s friend Kyungsoo turned to look back at Sehun in disgust before he faced Baekhyun again, “Why is that guy always teasing you? Does he like you or something?”

Baekhyun laughed, shaking his head, “Yeah sure, Sehun likes me.”

“Come on, don’t you think it’s weird? He doesn’t tease anyone else. Some people flirt like that you know.”

Baekhyun paused for a moment in thought before he glanced back at where Sehun was standing, only to find that he was already gone, “…Trust me, it’s not like that.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Kyungsoo approached Baekhyun’s locker like usual, but was stunned by an unfamiliar sight. He stared blankly at his friend, whose mouth was clamped down on Sehun’s shoulder. Sehun was laughing lightly, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s arms to try and pull him away. Baekhyun only bit down on him harder, pushing himself closer so that Sehun couldn’t pry him away.

Kyungsoo felt slightly embarrassed for them both, it definitely looked like they were flirting. He wasn’t sure how to interrupt the moment, but he didn’t have to. Sehun’s friend Junmyeon suddenly approached them, coughing a little to get Sehun’s attention.

Sehun turned to face him with a smile, “Oh hey.”

Baekhyun finally released his mouth, noticing Junmyeon’s presence. He backed away, and caught sight of Kyungsoo as well.

“We should get going, we don’t have a lot of time.” Junmyeon spoke as his eyes glanced in Baekhyun’s direction for a brief moment.

“Yeah ok.” Sehun answered as he raised his hand to rub the top of Baekhyun’s head, messing up his hair, “Bye puppy.”

Baekhyun stuck out his tongue, “Good riddance.”

Once Junmyeon and Sehun were gone, Kyungsoo approached Baekhyun. He had an interrogating look on his face, causing Baekhyun to laugh.

“What?”

“Seriously, you like him, don’t you?”

“Of course not!” Baekhyun replied, “I hate that guy.”

Kyungsoo shook his head, tired of having this argument, “Sure.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun closed his locker slowly, anticipating a certain person to be standing behind the door. But they weren’t there, they hadn’t been there for a while now.

He made his way to Sehun’s classroom, the students already mostly gone. He approached the teacher, who was gathering up his things before leaving for the day.

“Excuse me.”

The teacher stopped to look up at him, pushing his glasses back on his nose, “Yes, can I help you?”

“Did Oh Sehun come to class today?”

The teacher stared at Baekhyun curiously, “Sehun moved a little while ago. Why?”

Baekhyun stared blankly, the teacher’s words a little shocking to him, “…Moved?”

“Yes. I think his father got a promotion at work.”

Baekhyun remained still, quietly in thought. He was right, Sehun obviously didn’t care about him, otherwise he probably would have said goodbye. He knew Kyungsoo was always wrong about him.

After a short moment Baekhyun glanced up at the teacher again, feeling convinced that he didn’t care that Sehun was gone. He was glad actually, no one was going to harass him anymore.

“Thank you.”


	5. Puppy

Doyoon had progressed to sitting only one desk away from Baekhyun, which he felt was a pretty big accomplishment. The privilege to watch Baekhyun to his heart’s content was a rather amazing thing, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled at all times. There were moments that were unsettling to watch, for someone so enamored with Baekhyun as Doyoon was. 

It was becoming clear to Doyoon that he wasn’t the only one with feelings for Baekhyun. Baekhyun didn’t seem to to notice, but Doyoon had picked up on the way his two best friends stared at him. He often ended up fuming in jealously as they wrapped their arm around him, sometimes even massaging him.

However, these moments didn’t usually last very long. Chanyeol and Jongin would also notice these subtle maneuvers, and try their best to put an end to it whenever one of them was getting a little too comfortable with Baekhyun.

It was a relief when the school bell finally rang, the uncomfortable show coming to an end with the promise that Sehun would soon be interrupting them.

Jongin swung his bag around his shoulder, staring at Baekhyun as he spoke, “I have practice. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

An amused smirk grew on Baekhyun’s face as he stared up at his taller friend, “Today is Friday.”

Jongin blinked a few times in surprise, “Wait, is it?”

Baekhyun laughed and reached forward to smack his arm, “You can come to school, but I’ll be sleeping at home.”

Chanyeol laughed as well, patting Jongin on the back, “That was funny last time though.”

Jongin sighed as he turned to walk away, ignoring both of them out of embarrassment for his recent mistake. Baekhyun waved and called out an amused goodbye as he walked through the door, leaving Baekhyun and Chanyeol alone.

Doyoon followed behind them both closely, feeling a little uncomfortable with them being alone together. They continued to laugh for a while about Jongin, wondering if they should try to trick him in the future about the day of the week, possibly on April Fool’s. 

After their laughter died down, Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun’s face out of the corner of his eye, making sure that Baekhyun didn’t notice. Eventually he raised his arm to wrap it around Baekhyun’s shoulder, pulling him closer. Doyoon panicked and stepped a little closer, chopping at Chanyeol’s arm with his invisible hand.

“…Hey, how is your Grandma doing?”

Baekhyun’s expression dimmed as Chanyeol felt his shoulders sink, “…She’s ok…But I’m still worried about her…”

There was a break of silence until Chanyeol squeezed his shoulder, “I’m always here for you if you need to talk.”

Baekhyun took a deep breath and nodded, “I know. Thank you.”

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun out of the corner of his eye again, analyzing his expression for a moment before smiling at him, “Hey, since it’s the weekend, why don’t we go somewhere fun?”

“Sure.” Baekhyun smiled back, “Where?”

Chanyeol broke away from Baekhyun to swing his arm, giving him the charade of throwing a bowling ball. Baekhyun laughed as he watched him, noticing the serious expression on Chanyeol’s face.

“And it’s another gutter ball!”

Chanyeol turned to look at Baekhyun and sigh, “Don’t jinx me again!”

Baekhyun let out another clear warm laugh, remembering the time he ceaselessly teased Chanyeol, cursing him to throw the ball in the gutter every time. 

“You need to prove yourself.”

“Don’t put pressure on me.” Chanyeol whined with an exaggerated pout.

Baekhyun smiled as he stepped closer to Chanyeol again, hooking their arms together as he dragged him forward, “Come on!”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

“This is the plan.” Sehun started as he stood in front of the bowling alley with Doyoon, “I’ll try to get Baekhyun and I alone together before you take over. You’d have a hard time accomplishing that, right?”

Doyoon nodded, happy to accept Sehun’s offer, “Yes, thank you.”

“Ok, when I say _puppy_ , that will be your cue to take over.”

Doyoon gulped, feeling nervous at just the thought of it, “…Got it.”

Sehun smiled, turning his head to look over at the door to the building, “Let’s go.”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun weren’t difficult to find, considering they were some of the only people inside. Sehun kneeled behind a table, waiting for Baekhyun to finish his turn before he approached them.

Baekhyun was clearly having a hard time with the heavy ball, and laughed as he threw it in a sloppy manner, somehow still managing to knock over a pin. Chanyeol quickly approached him, laughing as well as he handed Baekhyun another ball.

“Here, let me help you.”

Suddenly moving to stand closely behind Baekhyun, Chanyeol took his hands so that they were holding the ball together. Chanyeol’s large hand covered Baekhyun’s small one, and he helped place his fingers in a better position.

“He probably needs a child size ball.”

They both looked up at hearing the familiar voice, and Baekhyun’s face instantly showed his disbelief at seeing Sehun standing next to him. There was the usual smirk on Sehun’s lips, and his hands were tucked inside his pockets in an annoyingly casual relaxed stance.

“What the hell Sehun? Do you have a tracking device on me or something?” Baekhyun asked as he lowered his hand, letting Chanyeol hold the ball alone.

Chanyeol’s expression became hard as he stared at Sehun, not appreciating all these sudden visits he was making, especially interrupting his alone time with Baekhyun. He wasn’t sure what Sehun’s aim was, but no matter what, it wasn’t welcome.

Sehun continued smirking, amused that he really did have a tracking device of sorts, “No, I just have to follow the miniature footsteps.”

Chanyeol’s tolerance of Sehun was already low, and this one statement was all it took to get him angry. He suddenly stepped in front of Baekhyun, standing as tall as he could to threaten Sehun.

“What’s your problem?!”

Sehun lifted his eyes to look at Chanyeol, his vision now disconnected from Baekhyun as Chanyeol blocked him. He remained still, not really sure how to answer.

“Chanyeol, it’s ok.” Baekhyun spoke quietly behind him.

“What does matter if he’s small? I like him that way.” Chanyeol continued, ignoring Baekhyun as he kept his eyes locked on Sehun.

Baekhyun reached out to tug on Chanyeol’s arm, whispering to him quietly, “Don’t worry about it, he’s just messing around.”

Chanyeol turned to look down at Baekhyun, shaking his head as he gave him a look of disbelief, “I’m not just going to stand here while he makes fun of you.”

Baekhyun leaned in closer to Chanyeol, speaking to him in the quietest voice possible so that Sehun couldn’t hear him, “Look, we’re just like this ok? I’m not offended.”

“Maybe you aren’t, but I am.”

Baekhyun wanted to explain more, but Chanyeol turned back to Sehun to speak again, “Baekhyun is perfect the way he-”

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun tried to interrupt.

“-Is. He’s talented, funny-”

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun tried again, a little more urgently.

“And extremely attractive.”

Baekhyun went silent at those words, feeling uncomfortable, especially in front of Sehun. They were all forced to linger on that statement as the argument came to a stand still, none of them uttering a sound as they continued staring at each other.

One of Sehun’s fists slowly clenched inside his pocket, Chanyeol’s words causing a shift in his mood that he wasn’t even aware of, “I never said he was untalented or unattractive.”

Before Chanyeol could respond, Baekhyun stepped around him to stare up at his massively taller friend with a slightly irritated look on his face, “What are you doing? You’re embarrassing me.”

“What? Why?” Chanyeol asked in a worried voice, concerned that he made Baekhyun feel that way.

Baekhyun sighed, not wanting to explain it to Chanyeol, and turned his head to look over at Sehun, “So what do you want? There must be some reason you keep following me around.”

Sehun unconsciously relaxed, falling back into his casual stance, “Can we talk?”

“Talk?” Baekhyun asked in surprise, “Are you finally going to apologize?”

“You’ll have to find out.” Sehun smirked.

Baekhyun crossed his arms as he gave Sehun a bored expression, “Ok, go ahead.”

“Not with him here.” Sehun indicated by glancing over at Chanyeol, and suddenly became aware of the way he was glaring at him.

Baekhyun sighed, pushing on Chanyeol’s arm, “Go get us some drinks or something.”

“No.” Sehun interrupted as he pointed with his thumb behind him, knowing Doyoon wasn’t going to be able to confess in the middle of the bowling alley with other people still around, “Come with me.”

Baekhyun paused in surprise, but only hesitated for a moment before giving in and following Sehun. However, Chanyeol wasn’t so comfortable with the idea, and grabbed onto Baekhyun’s arm as he started to walk off.

“I don’t trust this guy.” He whispered as he leaned close to Baekhyun.

“Relax Chanyeol, he’s not going to do anything, just go get us some sodas.” Baekhyun answered as he freed his arm.

Chanyeol gritted his teeth as he watched them both walk off together, leaving through the door to go outside.

“So what’s this big secret?” Baekhyun asked as he looked up at Sehun.

Sehun glanced around the street, trying to find a semi-decent location for Doyoon to confess. After discovering a nearby park, Sehun quickly headed for it.

“I’ll tell you in a second.”

Baekhyun was getting more and more curious, and remained silent as he allowed Sehun to lead them farther away from the bowling alley. He started to wonder if Sehun actually wanted to show him something instead.

After stopping in an empty area of the park, Sehun turned to face Baekhyun. They were alone together under a tree, their only company the sound of chirping birds.

“I thought I’d take the _puppy_ on a nice walk first.” Sehun smirked.

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at him, even this was a little far for Sehun, “Is this another joke?”

“No really, I wanted to tell you something _puppy_.”

Sehun put extra emphasis on his ending word, trying his best to get Doyoon’s attention. He waited as Baekhyun continued glaring at him. Nothing happened. He quickly glanced around, only to discover that Doyoon was no where to be found.

“Well? Go ahead, I’m waiting.” Baekhyun spoke in an extra irritated tone, “I came all the way out here, this better be good.”

This was new for Sehun, feeling so uncomfortable in front of Baekhyun. He had no defense for himself, no back up plan prepared for this possible moment. His mind started racing, trying to think of something to say. Baekhyun was visually getting more impatient, his eyebrows raising as he looked at Sehun with the same irritation.

Sehun didn’t have very many options. Apologizing would ruin everything he had worked so carefully to create between them, and make him so uncomfortably vulnerable. The only choice he was comfortable with was making this seem like a grand scheme just to tease Baekhyun again, at least that wouldn’t be outside of his character. However, he didn’t have any great material planned, and said the first thing that came to mind.

“You’re a corgi.”

Baekhyun tilted his head, his mouth parting slightly in confusion, “Excuse me?”

“Your legs are short and chubby, like a corgi. That’s what kind of puppy you are.”

“That’s what you wanted to tell me?” Baekhyun fumed, his anger quickly escalating.

Sehun smirked, he was much more comfortable dealing with Baekhyun during one of his little fits, “It’s important for you to kno-”

Sehun was abruptly cut off by a sudden stomp on his foot, much more ferocious than the last time Baekhyun stepped on it. Sehun winced, removing his foot and curling his toes slightly to comfort the pain. Without a word, Baekhyun turned to leave, furious that he even gave Sehun this opportunity to make a fool of him.

Sehun didn’t try to stop him, happy that Baekhyun decided to leave. He searched around for Doyoon again, but failed at locating him. Sehun cursed under his breath, Doyoon was going to get an earful from him about this.


	6. To the Rescue

Baekhyun was laid back on his couch, his legs sprawled so that one of his feet was resting on the back seat cushion. His foot was bouncing as he kicked it lightly, a mindless task as he focused his attention on the TV. He was bored, but a happy kind of bored, since it was the weekend and he could just relax. 

Doyoon was sitting on the floor near him, also watching the TV. He had been avoiding Sehun ever since the incident when he disappeared, knowing that Sehun was going to furiously scold him. He was honestly terrified to see him again.

A sudden buzz on Baekhyun’s phone brought his attention away from the TV, and he looked down to see a message from Jongin. Baekhyun had told Jongin about his outing to the bowling alley with Chanyeol, not thinking much of it. But to Jongin, it was a big deal. They didn’t usually split up like that, and Jongin felt like Chanyeol was trying to get an upper hand on him. It was only a matter of time before they were going to try and make a more serious move anyway, and Jongin decided it was a good time for him to have a turn.  
  
Jongin:  
 _“Hey, did you want to go on a date with me tonight? ;P”_  
  
Baekhyun laughed once he saw the message, figuring it was a joke. However, when Doyoon saw the message as he quickly leaned over to look at it, he knew Jongin was being serious.  
  
Baekhyun:  
 _“Sure, where to? ;)”_  
  
Jongin:  
 _“I thought we could go dancing.”_  
  
Baekhyun:  
 _“Is Chanyeol coming to?”_  
  
Jongin:  
 _“No, he said he was busy.”_  
  
Doyoon only waited a moment more to get the address to where they were going before bolting out the door, the importance of this event out-shadowing his fear of Sehun at the moment.  
  
  


——————————————————————

 

“Oh, look who finally decided to show his face.” Sehun spoke in a dry voice as he tossed a basketball into the air, causing it to swoosh through the nearby hoop.

“I’m really sorry!” Doyoon grievously answered as he bowed to Sehun, clapping his hands together.

“No it’s cool, you only made me look like a complete ass.” Sehun replied as he went to retrieve the ball, dribbling it a few times on the court as he went back to where he was previously standing.

“I know…you’ve done so much for me and I’ve only been a pain to you…You’re too kind to do all this for me…”

Sehun made another shot with the ball, but this time he missed, the ball hitting the rim of the basket and bouncing off to a far end of the court. Sehun sighed as he watched it roll away, and turned his attention back to Doyoon.

“Look, I just don’t want you getting stuck here. Regrets can hold spirits back, you need to make peace and move on.”

“So you’ll still help me?”

“Only if you man up and actually confess. I can’t keep chasing Baekhyun around forever making a fool of myself.”

Doyoon slowly nodded, grateful that Sehun was so willing to help him. He realized he really needed to change his behavior, that he couldn’t abandon Sehun again.

“…Can you help me today?”

Sehun picked up his water bottle, taking a sip and wiping his mouth before answering him, “Today? I don’t know I’m kinda busy…”

Sehun watched as a desperate expression appeared on Doyoon’s face, his emotions building up for a moment before he had the courage to divulge whatever painful thought was ailing him.

“Baekhyun is going on a date!!” Doyoon finally burst out crying as he fell to the ground, clinging to Sehun’s leg, which neither of them could feel.

It took a while for the sudden outburst of news to sink in, but as Sehun slowly processed it, a mixture of vexing feelings came over him. Sehun had never entertained the thought of taking Baekhyun out anywhere himself, he was far from making such fantasies about the two of them together. Baekhyun was just a puppy that he occasionally had fun teasing, it’s not like he had a crush on him or anything. At least that’s what he tried to tell himself…but he didn’t know why this was bothering him so much.

However, he didn’t have the time to sort out exactly how he felt about it. Only one thing was clear, he wanted to disturb this date Baekhyun was going on.

“…Ok. I’ll help you.”  
  
  


——————————————————————

 

Sehun carefully observed the crowd, trying his best to find someone that matched Baekhyun’s size. It didn’t take him long to spot him, dancing in the center of the floor with a bright smile on his face, his arms bent up with his hands close to the back of his head, his body rolling smoothy as he bit down on his lip.

He was wearing tight black pants that accented his feminine hips, paired with a satin pale blue shirt that was tucked in the front of his pants and hanging out the back. The top few buttons were undone, revealing a collection of dangling necklaces decorating his collar bone. His hair had become slightly messy from dancing around, and the act of Baekhyun’s hand occasionally brushing it back out of his face. Even from a distance, Sehun could see that Baekhyun’s eyes were shimmering, the flashing lights in the room catching the sparkles on his eyelids.

He was stunning.

The boy with the red cap from Sehun’s memories had really matured, in a way that Sehun had never imagined he would. In a way that made Sehun feel emotions he never thought he would. Or perhaps, they were feelings that were always secretly lingering inside him, only amplified by the strong physical attraction he was suddenly feeling.

He felt his stomach drop, the vision of Baekhyun swaying his hips back and forth causing him to gulp. He had never actually seen Baekhyun dressed in any thing other than his school uniform before, and definitely had never seen Baekhyun’s eyes fall into such an alluring expression, the smoky eyeliner giving them a sensual appeal. Baekhyun was far from the adorable puppy Sehun usually found him to be.

Sehun was abruptly interrupted from his thoughts when Doyoon’s voice suddenly entered his ears, “…I can’t dance…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.” Sehun answered confidently, his expression hardening as he started to make his way onto the dance floor.

Jongin was dancing near Baekhyun, obviously trying his best to impress him. However, Baekhyun just laughed, finding Jongin’s serious effort to make a move on him simply amusing. Eventually getting disheartened by Baekhyun’s continued amusement, Jongin left, offering to get them both something to drink. Sehun had been watching them both from nearby, waiting for this moment, and immediately swooped in once Jongin was gone.

Baekhyun suddenly felt a pair of hands slip onto his waist, the tall person behind him grinding up against him. Turning his head in alarm, Baekhyun’s eyes widened in shock to see Sehun’s smirking face behind him.

“…What the hell…you are stalking me.” Baekhyun spoke slowly as his eyes narrowed to glare at Sehun.

Sehun smiled as he stepped away from Baekhyun, moving his hands off him, “Look, you didn’t let me finish yesterday. I still need to talk to you.”

The brief sensation of Sehun’s hands trailing off Baekhyun’s hips lingered for a moment, before it quickly faded, and an immediate pining for his touch replaced the feeling. Baekhyun hesitated, distracted by the thought of it, irritated with himself for even caring whether or not this jerk was touching him.

“Oh yeah? You didn’t get enough of telling me how short and chubby my legs are?” Baekhyun scoffed.

“You know I never get tired of that.” Sehun smirked back, “But there’s something else I need to say.”

Baekhyun laughed, turning away to ignore Sehun as he started to dance again, “Well you blew it. I’m not following you on some long walk again.”

Sehun watched him for a moment, dancing by himself as the flashing lights continued to bring attention to the shimmer of his eyelids and the slight sheen of sweat on his skin from the heat in the room. Baekhyun looked even more gorgeous up close. Sehun’s eyes glanced down at Baekhyun’s waist, watching his hips move back and forth as he followed along with the heavy beat of the song.

Remembering that Baekhyun was on a date, and figuring that he got dressed up for his so called boyfriend, an agitation quickly began to build up inside Sehun. Looking back up at Baekhyun’s face, Sehun suddenly grabbed his wrist, spinning him around to face him again.

“Well then I won’t leave you alone while you’re on your date with your boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Baekhyun asked as he raised his eyebrows, “You mean Jongin?”

“Whatever his name is.”

Sehun’s eyes suddenly caught the image of Jongin coming back with a pair of drinks in his hands behind Baekhyun. He was out of time.

“Can I just talk to you for a minute?”

Baekhyun pulled his wrist away from Sehun while he was distracted, “No. I already told you, you missed your chance.”

Before Sehun could answer, Jongin was at Baekhyun’s side, handing him his drink with a smile. However, it didn’t take long for him to notice Sehun’s presence, and he paused staring at him in disturbance. He had heard all about Sehun interrupting Baekhyun’s bowling the other day, dragging him out to the park just to tell him he was a corgi.

“You again?” Jongin asked with a threatening voice.

Sehun glared back at him, his feelings were still a confusing mess at this point, but even just looking at Jongin got his blood boiling. Baekhyun however was oblivious to the tense atmosphere, and took a sip from his drink as he answered Jongin casually.

“Yeah, he must have a microchip under my skin.”

Jongin took a deep breath, becoming increasingly annoyed with Sehun as they continued their stare off, a challenge in their eyes that negated the need for words. Baekhyun noticed the lack of either of them replying to him, and glanced back and forth at their aggressive expressions curiously.

“…Anyway…I’m not talking to you Sehun, so you can go.”

As irritated as Sehun already was, the idea of leaving Baekhyun alone with Jongin made it even worse, especially considering how irresistible Baekhyun was looking at the moment.

“I’m not leaving.”

Baekhyun stared at Sehun, finding his behavior a little unusual. He wasn’t typically so aggressive like this, his attitude following more along the lines of mischievous most of the time.

“Fine.” Baekhyun shrugged, earning him an alarming glance from Jongin, “Just awkwardly watch us then. I bet you can’t even dance.”

Sehun smirked at these words, glad for two reasons: 1. Baekhyun was letting him stay 2: He was going to get the chance to show off his talent.

Baekhyun started dancing again, trying his best to ignore Sehun. Still, despite giving him the cold shoulder, Baekhyun was highly aware that Sehun was watching him, and he put in a little extra effort to move in an alluring manner.

Jongin gave Sehun one last nasty look before he joined Baekhyun, dancing in front of him in hopes of gaining all of Baekhyun’s attention. Sehun didn’t let it bother him. He started dancing on his own, the beat of the song one he was comfortable with and had an easy time falling into.

It didn’t take long for Sehun to catch the attention of many girls near him, not only for his looks but his obvious skill at dancing. They quickly closed the distance around him, all hoping Sehun might choose to dance with them. However, Sehun ignored them, and glanced over at Baekhyun to see if he was watching.

Baekhyun was indeed staring at him, and a smile grew on his face as Sehun looked over at him, showing him that he was admittedly impressed. Smiling back at Baekhyun, he suddenly moved away from the crowd, and continued dancing as he made his way close to Baekhyun again. 

Jongin’s expression hardened as Sehun appeared behind Baekhyun, dancing up next to him. Despite being in front of Baekhyun, Baekhyun’s attention was purely focused on Sehun, turning his head to watch him.

Getting up right behind Baekhyun, Sehun leaned his head down, whispering into his ear over the booming music, “Come with me puppy.”

It wasn’t Sehun’s advance on Baekhyun that sparked outrage in Jongin’s heart, but the small smile the crept on Baekhyun’s lips, and the almost flirtatious look in Baekhyun’s eyes as Sehun’s hand found it’s way to Baekhyun’s waist.

Sehun was suddenly shoved backwards, and staggered back a few steps as he looked up to see the ferocity in Jongin’s eyes. Baekhyun quickly turned his head to look at Jongin, realizing that he had pushed Sehun.

“Jongin knock it off.”

Jongin ignored Baekhyun, and instantly stepped towards Sehun, ”Who do you think you are?" He asked with clenched teeth, giving him another threatening shove to his chest.

Sehun planted his feet down firmly, stepping forward to shove Jongin back, causing Jongin to falter and stagger backwards, "It's none of your business.”

Baekhyun suddenly stepped in-between them as he looked up at his friend, "Jongin, what are you doing?! Leave him alone!”

Baekhyun defending Sehun only infuriated Jongin more, and he pushed Baekhyun aside, moving towards Sehun as he raised his fist, landing a hard punch to his face. Gasps were heard on the dance floor, and the people around them stepped away to get out of trouble. Baekhyun tried to grab Jongin's arm, but Jongin shook him off and went to attack Sehun again.

Normally Sehun wasn't one to partake in physical combat, but the false belief that Jongin was Baekhyun's boyfriend was all Sehun needed to fall into the desire of fighting back. Sehun grabbed Jongin's arm, holding onto it as he returned a punch to his face. 

Baekhyun watched them anxiously, unable to do anything as they continued punching each other, eventually falling to the ground as they wrestled in a mad furry, landing punches whenever they got an opening between their chaotic struggle.

"Stop!!" Baekhyun shouted as he tried to pull Jongin off.

Suddenly appearing to stop the commotion, a few bouncers quickly began prying them apart, moving them away from each other. Baekhyun joined Jongin, scolding him quietly for acting so irrationally. He glanced over towards Sehun, watching as he rubbed off some blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth.

They were all escorted outside, the bouncers making sure to keep them separate. Sehun and Baekhyun glanced at each other momentarily, Baekhyun giving him an apologetic expression.

“Let’s go.” Jongin spoke harshly, looking over at Sehun as well as he grabbed on Baekhyun’s arm.

Baekhyun pulled his arm away, glaring at Jongin, “I’ll go home by myself.”

Jongin took a deep breath, frustrated with Baekhyun, “Why are you taking his side? That asshole deserved it.”

“No he didn’t. He just wants to talk to me. You’re being the asshole.”

Jongin puffed up for a moment, fuming as he made a brief glance over at Sehun, “That guy has done nothing but make fun of you. I was just trying to help.”

“Well maybe use your words next time instead of your fist.” Baekhyun sneered, moving away from Jongin as he started to walk off on his own.

“Baekhyun.” Jongin called out as he watched Baekhyun walk away, only to be ignored as he continued leaving by himself, “Baekhyun come on.”

Sehun watched them both, pleased to see Baekhyun separate from Jongin. It was clear that they lived in different directions, and Jongin cursed to himself as he kicked a street light, abruptly turning away to stomp off in agitation. He continued watching Baekhyun, feeling uncomfortable with him being alone.

Doyoon came close to Sehun, looking at the wound on his mouth and cringing at the sight of it, "Are you ok?”

"I'm fine..." Sehun answered, "...I'm sorry though. That was my fault this time.”

"Are you kidding?" Doyoon smiled, "You ruined their date!”

Sehun laughed, agreeing with Doyoon, “You’re kind of malicious, aren’t you?”

Doyoon lowered his head, letting out a shameful sigh, “…I just hate seeing Baekhyun with someone else. I know he’ll be with someone someday…but I just want to avoid seeing it while I’m still here.”

Sehun nodded, smiling at Doyoon, “Yeah, I understand.”

Doyoon smiled back at Sehun, impressed he went so far to help him, “Thank you Sehun, you really are so kind.”

Sehun hesitated, knowing that he did that more for his own sake than Doyoon’s. He didn’t feel like he really deserved the praise.

“…I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Doyoon nodded, and waved at Sehun as he floated off, making his way home as well. Doyoon always returned home during the evening to spend time with his family. Once he was out of sight, Sehun glanced back over in the direction Baekhyun had left in.

He hurried to find him, and once he caught sight of Baekhyun, Sehun secretly lurked behind him, wanting to make sure he stayed safe. Baekhyun never noticed his presence, and continued all the way home without ever discovering that Sehun was following him.

Sehun watched him go inside, and admired Baekhyun’s appearance one last time before he shut the door.


	7. The Perfect Opportunity

Baekhyun stepped off the train, looking at the directions on his phone as he followed the right path to get to his destination. He had refused hanging out with his friends at the Red Tomato after school, much to Jongin’s distress since they hadn’t had time to really talk about their fight. They had shared a few texts over the weekend, but it never made up for actually hanging out in person.

Baekhyun wasn’t necessarily avoiding him (although he was still kind of upset about the fight), but rather he was curious about something, and made a decision to go on this trip alone.

Sehun had been able to track down Baekhyun wherever he had been going lately, and Baekhyun was still perplexed how Sehun always knew where he was. So, he decided to go somewhere completely random, somewhere unpredictable to see if Sehun was still able to find him.

Baekhyun was hoping Sehun would find him, because honestly he wanted to talk to him. Sehun obviously had something important to tell him, and he had made it clear he wanted to be alone with him to discuss whatever it was.

Using google maps, Baekhyun had discovered a nice park that was a decent distance from his home. It had taken him an hour to get there, and Baekhyun was entirely unfamiliar with the area. He had to rely on his phone for the entire trip, until at last he finally reached the park. Finding a bench, Baekhyun sat down to wait. After a few minutes, he started to glance around, hoping to spot Sehun.

However, Sehun wasn’t there. This was even more puzzling, it would make sense if Sehun had stalked him there, and waited a moment before showing himself. But this didn’t seem to be the case. Sehun must have had some other method of finding him.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Sehun sat in a daze as he waited for Doyoon to come find him and tell him where Baekhyun was going. He blinked a few times, and then raised his hand to rub his eyes. He was exhausted, spending the previous night staying up late with Doyoon’s family.

As one of Doyoon’s regrets, he wanted to speak with his family, which was a normal practice for Sehun. Sehun had mastered explaining the situation, and knew good questions for the family to ask to confirm that it was indeed their son. After discovering it really was him, they had spent hours talking to him, hugging him and crying with him. Sehun never interrupted, but Doyoon eventually realized that Sehun needed to get back home. However, Sehun didn’t end up falling asleep until around three in the morning.

Doyoon noticed Sehun was tired when he approached him, and asked him if he’d like to go home to rest. But Sehun refused, insisting that he tell him where Baekhyun was.

“Well…It’s kind of far.” Doyoon started, “I’m not sure why, but he’s going to this park.”

“A park?” Sehun asked with intrigue, “Is he alone?”

“Yeah, at least he was alone when I saw him leaving.”

“Good. This is perfect.” Sehun smiled as he regained a little energy, “Let’s go.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

After about thirty minutes, Baekhyun finally spotted Sehun off in the distance, searching around as if he was looking for someone. Baekhyun quickly shot off the bench and hid behind a tree, wishing to watch Sehun for a while more and possibly discover how he was tracking him.

The fact that Sehun was clearly searching the park, and had no idea that Baekhyun had been sitting on the bench previously, was possibly even more mystifying. Sehun was obviously aware of Baekhyun’s location, but not from someone else’s observation. It’s at that moment that Baekhyun contemplated Sehun having the ability to hack his phone, looking at his texts and other apps he used. But then Baekhyun remembered his outing with Chanyeol to the bowling alley, which was entirely spontaneous and had no planning involved.

Baekhyun was at a complete loss. He was about to show himself to Sehun once he got close to the tree he was standing behind, but stopped once he heard Sehun start talking.

“Are you sure this is the right park?” He asked as he turned his head to look at something Baekhyun couldn’t see.

There was a pause, and it seemed as if Sehun was actively listening to something.

“Well, I’ll keep looking, but he might have left already.”

Baekhyun watched Sehun with mixture of confusion and slight concern. He had heard the rumors in the past, kids always teasing Sehun in Junior High about talking to himself. But he had never seen it first hand, and honestly had always believed the rumors were false.

However, instead of thinking Sehun was crazy, a realization came over Baekhyun. It was impossible to deny, Sehun was able to figure out exactly where he was, no matter where he went. And it seemed that, by whatever strange phenomenon was happening, Sehun was communicating with something, or someone, about his location.

The idea of speaking to ghosts was not foreign to Baekhyun, and was the first assumption he made about Sehun’s behavior. This left Baekhyun with only two theories, either Sehun was using this spirit to help him find Baekhyun so he could tell him what he wanted, or it was actually the spirit that wanted to tell Baekhyun something, not Sehun.

As Baekhyun contemplated this, he suddenly remembered the first time he saw Sehun again. How strange he was acting, how awkward his posture was, and the stutter in his voice. It made him wonder…maybe it wasn’t really Sehun that day.

“I don’t see him anywhere.” Sehun spoke aloud as he finished looking around.

After another pause, Sehun shook his head.

“It’s ok, don’t worry about it.”

Sehun raised his hand to rub his eyes, keeping them closed even after moving his hand away. His body faltered a little, and he staggered forward slightly before he caught his balance. Baekhyun watched with concern as Sehun shook his head again, waving his hand.

“I’m fine…I just need a second.”

Baekhyun took a step out from the tree, and started to approach Sehun. However, before he reached him, Sehun suddenly faltered again, falling to his knees as he clutched onto his forehead. 

“Sehun!” Baekhyun shouted as he ran towards him.

Baekhyun held onto Sehun’s arms, analyzing Sehun’s face with a worried expression. Sehun slowly opened his eyes, his vision barely able to focus enough to realize it was Baekhyun holding onto him.

His lips formed into a lazy smirk as he spoke slowly to Baekhyun, “…You’re…too small to carry me.”

As he finished speaking, Sehun collapsed forward, his face landing against Baekhyun’s chest, his vision fading to black.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun sat next to Sehun’s bed, staring down at him as he slept peacefully. Small beeping sounds filled the hospital room, the equipment surrounding them constantly emitting them. Baekhyun watched Sehun’s eyes, hoping they might open soon.

He had never spent this much time looking at Sehun before, never gotten the chance to stare at him like this. He smiled as he analyzed his face, Sehun had changed so much since Junior High, it was no wonder Baekhyun barely recognized him once he saw him again after so many years.

Sehun was a man now, the cute thirteen year old from Baekhyun’s memory barely discernible in Sehun’s currently defined masculine features. Sehun was always attractive, but Baekhyun wouldn’t have guessed Sehun would become this incredibly handsome.

He wondered if he was dating anyone, because without a doubt there must have been quite a few people interested in him. He wondered if he had a lot of friends now. What his new school was like. When Sehun learned how to dance.

Baekhyun glanced down at Sehun’s hand, tempted to reach out for it. He slowly skimmed his hand across the bed sheets, his fingers gently brushing against Sehun’s skin before letting them land on top of his hand. His fingers curled around Sehun’s hand, holding onto it tightly as he looked up at Sehun’s face again.

It was such a simple thing, just holding Sehun’s hand, but it made Baekhyun’s heart flutter. However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Just then the door behind him opened, and Baekhyun abruptly let go of Sehun’s hand, nervously tucking his hand back on his lap. He turned his head to see a man and a woman approach the bed together, looking down at Sehun in concern. They were both dressed well, and the pleasant smell of perfume greeted Baekhyun’s nose as the woman got close to him.

“Are you the one who brought Sehun here?” The woman asked as she looked down at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun nodded, noticing the features on her face looked similar to Sehun’s, “…Yes. He collapsed all of a sudden.”

The woman took a deep breath as she looked back over at Sehun. She reached out to hold onto his hand, caressing it softly. Baekhyun got up to offer his seat to her, and she smiled at him before sitting down.

“You’re his parents, right?” Baekhyun asked.

“Yes. Sorry, it was rude of us not to introduce ourselves.” The woman answered.

Baekhyun smiled at her, “I understand, don’t worry about it.”

“What’s your name dear? Are you a friend of Sehun’s?”

“My name is Baekhyun…and I guess you could say we’re friends.”

“Thank you Baekhyun, we really appreciate your help.”

Baekhyun hesitated, contemplating whether or not he should ask the question he desperately wanted to know the answer to. Baekhyun remembered Sehun collapsing before, when he first met him. He hoped this wasn’t something common for Sehun, but he was starting to get concerned.

 “…If you don’t mind me asking…Does this happen to him a lot?”

There was a long moment of silence before Sehun’s mother turned to look at him, “…Yes. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with him, he just pushes himself to hard. He’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Baekhyun stared over at Sehun curiously, wondering what exactly that meant. From what he could tell, Sehun was rather laid back. Maybe he studied too hard, or possibly his body was always frail and simple activities caused him to exert himself. Regardless, Baekhyun was happy to know it wasn’t anything too serious.

They all remained silent together, waiting for Sehun to stir. It was getting late, but Baekhyun wanted to see Sehun wake up again before he left. As the time passed, Baekhyun reflected on the events from that day, and his urge to ask Sehun’s parents about it grew with each passing second, until he eventually couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Can Sehun…see ghosts?”

Both Sehun’s parents looked over at Baekhyun, staring at him with intrigue, “…So you’ve noticed.”

“It’s true then?” Baekhyun asked, slight relief in his voice at verifying Sehun wasn’t crazy.

“Yes, ever since he was a child he’s been able to communicate with spirits.”

At getting the answer to this, Baekhyun felt compelled to question about the other thing that was bothering him, “…Do they…sometimes possess him?”

Sehun’s parents both glanced at each other before looking back at Baekhyun again, surprised he had figured this out on his own, “You really have been paying attention to him…Honestly that’s the reason he’s laying here right now. He’s always helping spirits, even letting them use his body so they can accomplish any last regrets they have. It takes a toll on him, drains his energy until he eventually passes out.”

Baekhyun stared over at Sehun, his eyes softening at the thought of this. If it was true that Sehun was helping a spirit try to tell something to Baekhyun, he knew just how much effort Sehun was putting in to try to accomplish that goal. He had gone out of his way, sometimes embarrassing himself, sometimes even harming himself, all for the sake of helping someone else. It seemed that, no matter how much Sehun probably didn’t want him to know, he really wasn’t that big of a jerk after all.

Still, this didn’t excuse the fact that Sehun teased him all the time, and Baekhyun couldn’t let him completely off the hook. Even if Baekhyun was never really offended by it, he wasn’t about to forgive him that easily. 

Suddenly Baekhyun’s phone began to ring, and he quickly excused himself from the room to answer it. It was Baekhyun’s mother, wondering why he was out so late. After explaining where he was, his mother expressed that he needed to eat dinner, and that Baekhyun should come back home for now. She added that Baekhyun could always visit him tomorrow.

Returning to Sehun and his family, Baekhyun approached his parents, “Um…I need to get back home now. But I’d really like to visit Sehun tomorrow. Can I have your address?”

The parents both smiled, and told him they would be glad to have him over. After Baekhyun finished writing down the address in his phone, making sure to get Sehun’s phone number as well, Baekhyun bowed to Sehun’s parents as he began to bid them a farewell.

Suddenly the door opened behind them, and a boy around Baekhyun’s age entered the room, rushing towards Sehun. He instantly grasped onto Sehun’s hand, holding it tightly as he stared at him in concern. Baekhyun focused on their hands, taking note of how familiar this boy must be with Sehun. He clenched his own hands slightly, noticing that he felt a little envious.

“…Is he ok?” He asked as he quickly turned to look at Sehun’s parents.

Baekhyun watched as he had a short conversation with them. He looked very familiar to Baekhyun, and it took him a while before he finally realized who it was. It was Sehun’s friend from Junior High, Kim Junmyeon.

“Who’s this?” Junmyeon asked once he noticed Baekhyun in the room.

“Oh, I thought you might already know him.” The mother answered as she turned to look at Baekhyun.

“It’s been a while.” Baekhyun spoke softly, “…You might not remember me. My name is Byun Baekhyun.”

There was a very subtle twitch to one of Junmyeon’s fingers, a slight dilation in his pupils, and a fractional droop to the corner of his mouth at hearing that name. As much as Junmyeon wished he could forget it, that name had been permanently burned into his mind. Baekhyun’s existence had been a shadow in his thoughts ever since he first saw him.

And now, that boy that he was so ever happy to be rid of when Sehun was delightfully relocated to a school far from him, had reappeared as if from nowhere. Except now he looked, as much as Junmyeon wished he could deny it, absolutely beautiful.

“…Oh.” Was Junmyeon’s first reply, “What are you doing here?”

“Baekhyun is the one who helped Sehun.” Sehun’s mother answered.

“You’re Sehun’s friend, Kim Junmyeon, right?” Baekhyun asked with a smile.

“Yes.” Junmyeon answered curtly.

“We all went to Junior High together, Sehun used to-”

“I remember.” Junmyeon abruptly cut him off, “I didn’t realize you two were still in contact with each other.”

Baekhyun felt uncomfortable under Junmyeon’s gaze, something about the way he was looking at him was very unpleasant, “…Oh, well…we’ve only been meeting up recently.”

“…I see.”

There was a short break before Baekhyun suddenly bowed again, looking back at Sehun’s parents as he bid them farewell once more. He really didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t ignore the growling of his stomach. Besides, it would be better to talk to Sehun tomorrow, without everyone else around.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Sehun slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times from the offensive bright lights in the room. Upon awaking, Junmyeon instantly sprung up, excited that Sehun was finally stirring. Sehun slowly glanced around the room as Junmyeon spoke to him, asking how he felt and if he needed anything. Sehun’s parents also stood up, speaking to him softly.

“Where’s Baekhyun?” Was the first thing Sehun asked, causing a sour expression to grow on Junmyeon’s face.

“He left.” Junmyeon answered bitterly.

Sehun sighed, feeling bad that he had passed out during such a perfect opportunity for Doyoon to confess. He lifted his eyes to look over at Doyoon, who was staring at him with a miserable expression on his face. Upon making eye contact, Doyoon rushed over to him, apologizing profusely that he had caused this to happen. He had been listening the whole time Sehun’s parents explained everything to Baekhyun, and felt horrible about it.

Sehun closed his eyes, still feeling a little dazed. Even just talking to Doyoon used up his spiritual energy. But before he could answer, Sehun’s mother began speaking.

“Baekhyun said he’d like to come visit you tomorrow.”

“To our house?” Sehun asked as he quickly opened his eyes again.

“Yes. I assume that’s ok?”

Junmyeon quickly tensed up at hearing that news, he wasn’t aware that such an arrangement had been made. He stared at Sehun’s face, waiting to see what kind of reaction he would make. He knew Sehun well, and had gotten pretty good at reading his expression.

Sehun smiled, glancing over at Doyoon again. It seemed he didn’t miss the opportunity after all, “Yeah, that’s fine.”


	8. Farewell

Baekhyun slowly approached Sehun’s house, staring in awe at the large building. It was a modern style home, clean cut with a simple garden out front. Before ringing the door bell, Baekhyun adjusted his hair and the sweater he was wearing. He would have defended he dressed nicely only because he would be seeing Sehun’s parents, but the truth was he really spent extra time getting ready in anticipation of meeting up with Sehun.

Sehun’s mother opened the door, smiling sweetly as she greeted him and invited him inside. After asking if he would like any refreshments or a snack to eat, she showed Baekhyun upstairs to Sehun’s room. She knocked on his door lightly, waiting for Sehun’s response before opening the door.

Baekhyun stepped inside, looking over at Sehun who was sitting up in his bed, dressed in a T-Shirt he had probably slept in. Sehun’s mother excused herself before closing the door and leaving them alone together.

“Hey.” Sehun smiled, relaxing back against his headboard.

Baekhyun stepped further into the room, coming over to his bed to sit down at the end of it, “Hey.”

“So, why did you come over? I thought I missed my chance to talk to you.”

Baekhyun sighed, turning more towards Sehun as he rested one of his knees up on the bed, “Shut up. We need to talk.”

Sehun noticed Doyoon getting visibly more nervous in the background. He had been preparing himself for Baekhyun’s visit all night, trying his best to imagine saying those words to him. But, as usual, now that Baekhyun was here, his nerves plummeted.

“Last night…” Baekhyun started, gaining Sehun’s attention again, “…I was watching you at the park.”

Sehun stared back at Baekhyun curiously, wondering what he was getting at, “…And?”

“I…saw you talking to yourself.”

Baekhyun noticed Sehun tense up as all the color washed away from his face, it was the first time Baekhyun really saw such a nervous look on his face. Baekhyun quickly continued, not wanting to make Sehun uncomfortable.

“I asked your parents, and they told me all about your ability. I had already kind of assumed that was the case on my own, it made sense to me how you were able to follow me everywhere.”

Sehun relaxed at these words, exhaling slowly as the color slowly returned to his face. His heart was uncomfortably tight from the anxiety of Baekhyun possibly thinking he was a freak, and he waited for it to calm down before he answered.

“You’re right, that is how I’ve been following you.”

“You’re not actually the one who wants to tell me something, are you? It’s your ghost friend.”

Sehun smirked at Baekhyun, licking his lips before he answered, “You’re pretty smart.”

“And that first time I saw you again, that was the ghost, not you, right?”

“Yes, it was Doyoon.”

“…Doyoon?” Baekhyun asked, falling into silence as he thought to himself. He didn’t recognize the name.

Doyoon took a few steps backwards, his nerves increasing at the sound of Baekhyun saying his name. Sehun noticed and watched him for a moment before speaking again.

“He was a classmate of yours. He’s in the room with us right now.”

Baekhyun turned his head to look around, even though he already knew he didn’t have the ability to see ghosts, “He is?”

“I don’t think he’s ready to talk to you yet though.” Sehun answered, continuing to stare at Doyoon, noticing he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Baekhyun remembered how nervous Doyoon was the first time, and smiled as he followed Sehun’s eyes to look at where Doyoon was supposedly standing. Doyoon would have fainted if he had a body, Baekhyun was staring right at him with such a sweet look on his face.

“That’s ok. I understand. Take your time Doyoon.”

As Sehun continued staring at Doyoon, a sudden idea came to him, “It might help if he could just talk to you about something else first. Just to get more comfortable.”

Doyoon cowered and ran into the nearby bathroom, crumpling into a ball.

“But your condition…You’re still recovering.” Baekhyun pointed out in concern.

“I’ll be home all day resting anyway, it’s fine.”

“…Ok.” Baekhyun answered, still feeling a little uneasy about it.

“Doyoon.” Sehun called out, “Come on, just come talk to him.”

“I’d like to meet you.” Baekhyun added, trying his best to comfort him, realizing he must have been a very shy person.

After a long moment of silence, Doyoon turned to look over at them both. Baekhyun still had that sweet smile on his face. Glancing over at Sehun, he slowly nodded, agreeing to the idea. He knew he wouldn’t be able to ask for a better moment than this. He walked into the room again, approaching Sehun.

Sehun closed his eyes, concentrating on lowering his consciousness so that Doyoon could take over. Baekhyun watched him curiously, waiting to see the transformation in Sehun’s behavior.

When Sehun opened his eyes again, it was already clear to Baekhyun that Doyoon was in control. His eyes reflected a fragile insecurity that Sehun never carried. Baekhyun smiled again, Doyoon wasn’t the only one who had to get used to this. It was so strange for Baekhyun to see Sehun this way.

“Hi.” Baekhyun started, speaking in a soft voice, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember you. Did we have any classes together?”

Doyoon shook his head, which was his best attempt at answering no. Baekhyun waited, but realized he wasn’t going to say anything.

“Have we ever talked to each other? Besides that time you gave me the flowers.”

Doyoon shook his head again, and Baekhyun realized it was going to take quite a bit of effort to get him to talk. Even though Doyoon was using Sehun’s body, he wasn't really in disguise anymore. Baekhyun knew it was him.

“That was really sweet of you to give me those flowers. Sehun could learn a thing or two from you.” Baekhyun laughed a little, finding it funny he could say that right to Sehun’s face and he wouldn’t respond.

Doyoon clenched tightly on the bedsheets, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red, “….Y-y-you’re wel-welcome.”

Baekhyun stared at Sehun for a moment, noticing the color on his cheeks. He wanted to remember this shy expression on him, knowing he probably wouldn’t see anything similar to it again. And then it suddenly occurred to Baekhyun, this was a good opportunity for other reasons as well. He slowly reached out his hand, moving across the sheets until he was touching Sehun’s hand.

However, instead of holding onto it like Baekhyun was hoping, Doyoon shot his hand away as if it caused him some kind of shock. In instant reaction to the embarrassment of the moment, Doyoon ripped up the bedsheets, pulling them over his body and making a tent around himself. Baekhyun blinked a few times in his surprise, Sehun now only a blob under the bedsheets in front of him.

“…Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Baekhyun spoke with concern.

There was no answer, and Baekhyun sat wondering what to do next. Sehun had to interject, speaking to Doyoon as Baekhyun waited.

_“Say something. Anything. You can even stay under the sheets if that makes you more comfortable.”_

Doyoon squirmed for a moment, his breathing becoming more heavy under the sheets, “…It’s ok. I-I just get really n-nervous.”

Baekhyun smiled, scooting a little closer, “That’s all right, I’ll just talk to you then if it helps.”

Doyoon sat and listened as Baekhyun began to ramble off about school, food he liked to eat, shows he liked to watch, and stuff he did with his friends. It was then that Doyoon stopped Baekhyun, finally speaking to ask him a question.

“…Is Jongin your b-boyfriend?”

Baekhyun paused for a moment, a small laugh eventually coming out as he answered, “No. Sehun thought that too. He’s just my friend, we weren’t on a date.”

Doyoon and Sehun both felt relieved at these words. Baekhyun waited to see if Doyoon would say anything else, but he seemed satisfied with this response.

“…Can Sehun hear me right now?” Baekhyun asked, hoping that Sehun also heard the answer to that question. Although he was a little embarrassed to think Sehun had been listening to his long ramble just then. He hadn’t really thought about it, but for some reason he assumed that Sehun wasn’t able to hear them.

“Y-yeah. He’s listening.”

“Oh, ok.” Baekhyun answered, a slight blush barely visible on his cheeks.

Doyoon suddenly felt a little dizzy, and he shook his head to get his vision clear again. He realized what it must have meant, and spoke to Sehun in his mind.

_“You’re out of energy again.”_

_“…Sorry, this is all I can give you today.”_ Sehun answered regretfully.

Sehun suddenly pulled the bedsheets off himself, taking a breath of fresh air. Baekhyun didn’t need an explanation to know it wasn’t Doyoon anymore, the way Sehun focused his cold eyes on him made that clear enough.

“I’m going to need a signal if you’re going to keep switching back and forth like this.” Baekhyun smiled.

“Trust me, you’ll know when it’s me puppy.” Sehun smirked back.

“Do you need to rest?” Baekhyun asked, noticing the tired look on Sehun’s face.

“Yeah, I still need a few days to recover.” Sehun explained, “Are you free this weekend?”

Baekhyun paused, a little surprised by the question, “…Yeah, I’m free.”

“Good. Let’s go somewhere. I don’t think Doyoon is ready to tell you yet, but spending the day with you might help him.”

Baekhyun pressed his lips together nervously, wetting them before he answered, “…Ok sure.”

Sehun was honestly glad to give Doyoon an opportunity like this, feeling like he deserved to go out somewhere with Baekhyun before he told him how he felt and ultimately left this world. Still, Sehun couldn’t deny that this was also for him. He was looking forward to spending an entire day with Baekhyun, even if he couldn’t really participate.

Sehun laid back and closed his eyes, his weariness quickly returning, “Sorry, I’m going to fall asleep soon.”

Baekhyun hesitated, lingering on the bed as he continued staring at Sehun, wishing he could stay longer. Doyoon watched as Baekhyun kept his eyes on him, his expression soft with a touch of longing.

Doyoon had witnessed Baekhyun reach for Sehun’s hand the other day at the hospital, holding onto it as he stared at him affectionately. He figured Baekhyun was merely concerned about Sehun, considering he did unexplainably pass out. However, combined with the way Baekhyun was acting right now, Doyoon was starting to paint a different picture. A picture he never wanted to paint.

“I have your number already, I’ll text you later.”

Sehun nodded lethargically, his fatigue already forcing him into slumber. Baekhyun looked back around the room, unsure of where Doyoon was now.

“See you this weekend Doyoon.” Baekhyun smiled.

Doyoon raised his hand to wave sadly, _“Bye Baekhyun.”_  
  
  


——————————————————————————

  
  
  
Sehun grabbed his favorite shirt, pulling it over his head and glancing over at the mirror to check his appearance. Doyoon watched as he spent a long time staring at himself, adjusting the shirt many times until he got it how he wanted. Doyoon hesitated before following Sehun into the bathroom, watching as Sehun began to fix his hair.

Again, Sehun was taking extra care as he got ready, and Doyoon took note of these small attentions. Baekhyun wasn’t the only one Doyoon was starting to worry about. He hadn’t expressed anything to Sehun yet, but he had noticed Sehun slipping his hands onto Baekhyun’s waist on the dance floor. He didn’t really know anything about Sehun and Baekhyun’s past together, but it seemed like there was definitely some kind of interesting tension going on.

“…Do you like Baekhyun?” Doyoon asked in a fragile voice as he continued watching Sehun.

Sehun paused, looking behind himself at Doyoon, taking a nervous gulp before he answered, “…Why do you ask that?”

“…When you were dancing together…I don’t know, I got the feeling you were trying to flirt with him…”

Sehun remained silent, not sure how to answer. Today was Doyoon’s last day in this world, he was hoping to avoid talking about this. He scolded himself for making such a stupid mistake, he got so caught up in that moment that he forgot Doyoon was watching them.

“It’s ok Sehun.” Doyoon eventually responded, realizing Sehun had been backed into a corner, “…I wouldn’t mind if Baekhyun got with someone like you.”

Sehun stared at Doyoon curiously, and then sighed, feeling bad for Doyoon as he watched a sad expression grow on his face, “…Doyoon…”

“Really, you’re a great guy Sehun.” Doyoon suddenly smiled, trying his best to show Sehun he was ok, “You deserve to be happy.”

Sehun let out a sigh, facing the mirror again as he lowered his head, “…I’m sorry.”

Doyoon shook his head, “Don’t be. I’m so glad I met you.”

Sehun took a deep breath and smiled, pausing a moment before he looked back at Doyoon, “I’m glad I met you too. I owe you a lot of thanks.”

Doyoon kept smiling as he nudged his head at the mirror, “You better hurry, I don’t want to be late.”  
  
  


——————————————————————————

  
  
  
Doyoon froze in his tracks when he saw Baekhyun standing by a water fountain waiting for him. He was looking especially adorable, wearing shorts that showed off his small legs, and a long sleeved yellow shirt that increased the vibrance of his already bright smile. Sehun also waited a moment admiring him before he urged Doyoon to continue forward.

“H-hi.” Doyoon greeted Baekhyun, standing a decent distance away from him.

Baekhyun smiled, still finding it amusing to see Sehun act in such a timid way, “Hi.”

Doyoon blushed, and then turned his head to look the other direction, not being able to handle staring directly at Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun continued smiling, giving Doyoon a moment to calm down.

Baekhyun already had a pretty good guess at what Doyoon wanted to tell him, his behavior made it rather obvious, including the fact that he gave him flowers that one day. He understood why a person this shy would have a hard time saying it.

He felt bad for Doyoon, he really seemed like such a sweet person, it wasn’t fair. Just like Sehun, Baekhyun wanted to make this an enjoyable day for him, and hopefully get him comfortable enough to say those words to him so he could move on.

It was Baekhyun’s idea to go miniature golfing. He wanted to do some kind of activity that would distract Doyoon, not focusing so much on having to talk together. The day started out slowly, Doyoon unable to speak while Baekhyun bounced around with warm energy as they played together. However, Doyoon slowly began to open up, smiling at Baekhyun’s antics and eventually making small talk with him.

Sehun could tell Baekhyun was trying his best to make Doyoon happy, and he realized they must have been on the same quest to fill Doyoon’s last moments with joy. Instead of feeling jealous in any sort of way, Sehun almost felt like Doyoon was a small child they were both trying their best to take care of.

Still, even though this day was for Doyoon, Baekhyun couldn’t help feeling a flutter in his heart when he looked up to see Sehun standing next to him. It was kind of surreal, hanging out with Sehun so casually like this, even if it wasn’t really him. Baekhyun ended up staring at him for long moments, enjoying the fact that they were kind of on a date together, since Sehun was still technically there listening and watching everything.

Gradually, as the day came to an end and the sun fell beneath the horizon, the happy smiles they were wearing began to carry an undeniable melancholy feeling. Doyoon knew it was finally time to tell Baekhyun about his feelings and say goodbye. Baekhyun was aware of this as well, but this wasn’t the only thing dampening his mood. 

He was afraid. He knew that once Doyoon was gone, Sehun no longer had any reason to follow him around. That Sehun would disappear again just like he did when they were young. After all, if he didn’t care about him then, why would he now? 

He had started to believe that Sehun might actually be interested in him this time, only to discover it was all for the sake of Doyoon. No matter how much Baekhyun had tried to fight it, the feeling in his heart had started to rekindle, and he was scared he wouldn’t be able to smother it anymore.

In silence, Baekhyun and Doyoon walked together, leaving the miniature golf to go on a stroll through the city. Baekhyun had planned on ending this evening by going on a walk to the Han river, and wandered through the streets until he found a trail that lead them close to the bank of the water.

They stared out at the flowing water together, each of them taking time to appreciate the moment. The sky was clear, and the air was still warm. Doyoon couldn’t have wished for a more wonderful day.

He smiled to himself, and after taking a deep breath, turned to face Baekhyun. Baekhyun noticed, and turned his body to face him as well, staring at up at him with as much warmth as he could manage.

Doyoon took one last moment to appreciate Baekhyun standing next to him, until at last he opened his mouth to speak.

“I love you.”

Baekhyun watched Sehun’s lips, the words falling out of his mouth as if they were in slow motion. The look in Sehun’s eyes matched his words, tender and full of affection. Finally no longer afraid to look Baekhyun in the eyes, Doyoon kept his gaze locked with Baekhyun’s, the love in his face only increasing the longer he stared at him.

Baekhyun felt a pang, and then a long tightening grip, his breath caught in his chest as he stared at Sehun’s face. He knew it wasn’t Sehun, that it wasn’t Sehun saying those words, that it wasn’t Sehun looking at him that way. But…That didn’t change the fact that it was Sehun standing in front of him, that it was Sehun’s voice he heard, and Sehun’s eyes that were staring at him so deeply.

He wanted it to be Sehun.

Doyoon closed his eyes as he felt a deep satisfaction growing in his heart. Smiling again, Doyoon spoke to Sehun with his deepest gratitude.

_“Goodbye Sehun. Thank you.”_

As Doyoon finished his words, Sehun felt his spirit slowly vanish. He was at peace.

Sehun kept his eyes closed, bidding Doyoon farewell like he always did with every spirit, wishing him a happy passage to the world beyond.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed a tear trickling down Baekhyun’s cheek. Baekhyun swallowed deeply and wiped his eyes as he continued staring at Sehun.

“Thank you for loving me…This is a gift for you before you leave.”

Sehun’s expression dimmed, regretting that Baekhyun was too late, “…Baekhy-”

Sehun was cut off as Baekhyun suddenly stood up on his tip toes, reaching his arms around Sehun’s neck to place a delicate kiss on Sehun’s lips.

Sehun’s eyes widened in shock, and remained still as Baekhyun held the kiss for a long moment. Baekhyun was treasuring every second of it, convinced this would be the only time he ever shared a kiss with Sehun.

When he backed away, stepping back down onto the balls of his feet, Sehun was still staring blankly with wide open eyes. His heart was beating rapidly, the moisture of Baekhyun’s lips was present on his own, and the breeze in the air only brought more attention to it.

“…He’s already gone.” Sehun finally spoke.

Baekhyun paused, blinking a few times before he answered, “…You mean…”

“Yeah. You just kissed me.”

There was another awkward pause as Baekhyun’s cheeks quickly flushed with color. As Sehun watched his embarrassed expression, a smirk slowly grew on his face.

“You had to stand on the very tips of your toes, didn’t you?”

“Shut up!” Baekhyun shouted as he smacked Sehun’s arm, his expression quickly changing into one of anger.

Baekhyun turned around to stomp off, and Sehun let out a laugh as he watched him walk away. Not letting him get too far, Sehun quickly ran up to him.

“I have someone that will come pick us up. Unless you want to walk all the way home?”

Baekhyun couldn’t look at Sehun, his face was still beet red. He remained silent, but stopped moving as an answer to Sehun. Sehun smiled, realizing Baekhyun wasn’t going to say anything. He took out his phone and started to make a call to his family’s chauffeur.

Not another word was spoken as they waited together, Baekhyun far too mortified to make a sound. Sehun decided it was best not to tease him, and left him alone as they sat down on the small fence next to the river.

Both of them spent the time reflecting on the kiss, clinging to the memory of each other’s lips. The warm feeling remained in their thoughts even once the car arrived and they rode silently in the back seat together. They made a few occasional glances at each other, but were never discovered the entire trip.

It wasn’t until Sehun’s car pulled away and Baekhyun was left alone at his door that he dared reach up to touch his own lips, pressing on them as if to replicate the moment.

He watched Sehun’s car disappear down the street, and Baekhyun felt his heart sink. Once again, Sehun didn’t say goodbye, but he hoped that was only because this wasn’t farewell.


	9. A New Approach

There was always a regression of loneliness after Sehun finished helping a spirit fulfill their desires, especially after helping someone like Doyoon for such a long period of time. Sehun was frequently making new friends that he quickly had to say goodbye to, and he was left by himself to reflect on the things that were so important to them. 

On top of missing Doyoon, and having him always around to talk to, Sehun’s loneliness had fallen into a new low, missing Baekhyun the most of all.

That kiss was still fresh in his mind, a kiss he believed wasn’t even meant for him. However, it did bring up an interesting fact. If Baekhyun despised Sehun as much as he pretended to, he doubted Baekhyun would be willing to kiss him, even if it wasn’t intended for him.

As Sehun sat in his bed, he continued spinning over these thoughts. The memory of Baekhyun’s soft lips and small arms wrapped around him hardly allowing him to dwell on anything else for long.

If there was one thing Sehun had learned during his life so far, it was to cease the moment. He had witnessed so many times the consequences of holding back, of being too afraid, of letting other things get in the way.

He wasn’t about to let that happen to himself. He wasn’t going to let Baekhyun become his biggest regret.   
  
  


——————————————

 

Baekhyun stared at his shoes sitting inside his locker once he finished changing them, a dull expression on his face as he continued spacing out. It had been two weeks. Fourteen days since he last saw Sehun…since they shared that kiss. However, Baekhyun didn’t even remember the number, it could have been three months as far as he was concerned. The amount of time had passed slowly, each day feeling longer than the last.

He was mad at himself, mad that he couldn’t just erase Sehun from his mind. Sehun had proven over and over again that he didn't have feelings for him, but Baekhyun was no longer able to control his heart. Sehun was always in his thoughts, that stupid jerk Sehun that kept popping in and out of his life without a care. Why couldn’t Sehun just leave him alone? Why did Sehun have to return after all this time just to rekindle a flame that would only burn him. 

He sighed, closing the locker slowly as he forced himself to head off to class. And then he let out a sudden shout, startled by a person standing behind the door.

“Small puppies are so easy to get excited.” Sehun smirked as he watched the surprise develop in Baekhyun’s eyes.

“…What…but…” Baekhyun glanced down at Sehun’s clothes, and suddenly realized he was wearing the same uniform as him.

“I couldn’t keep my grades up.” Sehun answered before Baekhyun could form a complete question, “I prefer a school like this anyway.”

Baekhyun wasn’t able to fight back the smile that desperately wanted to appear on his face at the joy of hearing that news, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a bright expression. Sehun however wasn’t watching him, he had lowered his head to look down at his uniform, pulling at his blazer with his hand.

“So, I was wondering. When you ordered your uniform, did you get the extra small? Or did they have to fix up an elementary kid’s uniform for you?”

Without getting a verbal response, Sehun was suddenly assaulted with Baekhyun’s mouth biting down on his shoulder. Sehun laughed as he looked down to watch Baekhyun nibbling on him, getting the shoulder of his new uniform wet.

“Aw, looks like puppy is still teething.”

Baekhyun bit down on him harder, and Sehun continued laughing, reaching for Baekhyun’s wrists to try and pull him away. Baekhyun fought back, bending his arms and pushing them against Sehun in retaliation to him pulling. Sehun’s grip slipped up from his wrists to his hands, and they tightly grasped them together, their fingers interlocking as they continued to struggle with each other.

Baekhyun was partially flirting, partially releasing his aggression towards Sehun for all the heartache he had caused him. Still, it was mostly flirting, and they were both far too happy to stop. They continued far longer than they had in the past, neither of them exerting enough strength to end their playful fight.

Sehun continued watching Baekhyun’s face, concentrating on his mouth. He stared at the lips that hadn’t escaped his thoughts for one day since they had been apart. Gazing at them only made him desire them more. One kiss was all he needed to grow an addiction for them.

Their fight suddenly came to an abrupt stop as Sehun pushed Baekhyun against the lockers, Baekhyun’s arms pressed up next to his head as Sehun kept their hands locked with each other. Baekhyun finally released his mouth, listening in surprise as Sehun leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

“Does puppy want something else to nibble on?”

Baekhyun froze, his heart pounding in his chest as Sehun’s face remained close to his ear. He gulped, wondering if Sehun’s innuendo was another way of teasing him. He nervously grasped onto Sehun’s hands, unsure of what to do.

But before he could answer, Sehun was suddenly yanked away by two pairs of hands. Chanyeol and Jongin both continued holding onto his blazer as they stared at Baekhyun with a panicked expression.

“Are you ok Baek?” Jongin asked, letting go of Sehun as he moved closer to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun’s heart was still pounding, and he could only nod in response. Chanyeol came to Baekhyun’s side as well, but Baekhyun kept his eyes on Sehun in the background. Sehun smirked at him, his cold eyes locking with Baekhyun’s briefly before he suddenly turned to walk away, leaving Baekhyun alone with his friends.

Sehun had come to this school with this new approach towards Baekhyun in mind. He didn’t want to just suddenly confess, not really knowing if Baekhyun had any feelings towards him as well. Since they were already comfortable fighting with each other like this, Sehun decided to spice it up a little to see how Baekhyun would react, hoping it might evolve into something else if Baekhyun responded well. Besides, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed acting this way with Baekhyun, and wanted to drag it out as long as possible.

Chanyeol and Jongin watched him leave, and turned back to Baekhyun to ask more questions once he was gone. They had witnessed Baekhyun biting Sehun, and they weren’t very thrilled about it. But possibly more alarming than that was the uniform Sehun was wearing.

“What is that jerk doing here?”

“Don’t call him that.” Baekhyun answered, finally stepping away from the lockers, “Only I can call him that.”

Chanyeol and Jongin both stiffened up, glancing at each other unhappily. It was about time they finally asked the question they had been purposely avoiding.

“Baek…Do you like that guy?”

Baekhyun laughed nervously, and averted his eyes as he felt his heart pound again, “…Of course not.”

Chanyeol and Jongin weren’t very convinced by that answer, Baekhyun’s expression clearly betraying his words. Still, they didn’t understand, why did Sehun and Baekhyun fight with each other? Were they really flirting like little kids on a playground?

Glancing at each other again, an expression of concern covered Chanyeol and Jongin’s faces. They really hoped Baekhyun was telling the truth.  
  
  


——————————————

 

Sehun ate quickly, feeling uncomfortable sitting by himself during lunch. The roof was already occupied by another group of students, it was going to take him a while to find his own private spot. After finishing his last bites of food, he got up to wander around, trying to scope out a good location.

He walked along a path near the school building, staring around at the grounds. It was very different from his other school, the kids much more relaxed and casual. They were allowed to have more fun with their uniforms, wearing bright colorful socks or cute hair accessories. Sehun decided he wanted to go shopping to get some new shoes, the ones he was wearing were far too formal and boring.

As he waked along, the faint sound of a piano drifted into his ears. Sehun halted as he listened to it for a minute, the pleasant light touch on the keys putting an immediate soothing effect on his mood. He closed his eyes, relaxing as he enjoyed the song.

Soon a voice accompanied the piano, singing along softly to the tune of the song. Sehun opened his eyes, looking around as he tried to locate where it was coming from. He knew that voice very well, even if he had never heard him singing before.

He made his way over to a window, the sound getting louder and louder as he approached it. The window was open, allowing the sound to travel easily outside. Once Sehun stepped in front of it, he smiled as he got a view inside the room.

“Puppy does know quite a few tricks.”

Startled by Sehun’s voice, Baekhyun pulled his hands off the keys, and looked over at the window to see Sehun leaning against it with his arms folded and resting on the sill. Baekhyun instantly felt his heart tighten, staring at Sehun’s usual smirking face.

There was a moment of silence as they kept their eyes locked, both of them simply happy to see each other’s face. After realizing Baekhyun was too surprised to make a comment back, Sehun jumped up onto the ledge of the window and hopped into the room. He slowly stepped over to the piano, sitting down next to Baekhyun on the bench as he continued staring at him.

Baekhyun turned his head, feeling nervous with Sehun’s eyes on him. Sehun smiled, noticing that Baekhyun was being a little shy. He wasn’t used to seeing Baekhyun this way, and wondered if he was still feeling embarrassed about their kiss.

After a moment of admiring his shy expression, Sehun slowly moved his hand towards Baekhyun’s lap. Baekhyun’s heart pounded once he felt Sehun suddenly curl his fingers around his hand, grasping onto it gently.

Baekhyun turned his head to watch Sehun lift his hand onto the piano, placing it softly onto the keys. He gulped, not resisting at all as Sehun kept his hand on top of his own.

“I’m surprised you can spread your little fingers far enough to reach the keys.”

Like some kind of jarring sound, Sehun’s words snapped Baekhyun out of his dreamlike mood. He quickly turned his head to look over at Sehun, witnessing a bratty smirk on his face again. Ripping his hand away, Baekhyun turned his whole body to launch an attack on Sehun, biting down on his shoulder.

Sehun continued smirking, expecting this response. He turned his body as well, facing Baekhyun as he allowed him to keep nibbling on him. Enjoying the feeling for a long moment, Sehun waited before he leaned his head down, speaking into Baekhyun’s ear in a deep voice.

“You can spread your mouth really wide too.”

Baekhyun abruptly stopped, freezing in disbelief that Sehun made another innuendo towards him. He slowly pulled away, looking at Sehun’s face curiously. 

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?” Sehun replied in an annoying tone, clearly aware of what Baekhyun meant.

“Are you teasing me?” Baekhyun asked with furrowed eyebrows, ignoring Sehun’s pretend incompetence.

Sehun stayed silent for a moment, a smirk still present on his lips, “What if I’m not?”

Baekhyun stared at Sehun’s face, trying to read his expression. He really wasn’t sure what to think. Sehun’s attitude was so unclear, it really could go either way.

Still, even if Sehun actually was hitting on him, Baekhyun wasn’t going to give in that easily, not after Sehun had toyed with his heart for so long. If Sehun wanted him, Baekhyun was going to make sure Sehun went through the loop for him.

“Then I’d say you had a slim chance.”

“But still a chance?” Sehun asked with a raised brow, a teasing expression on his face.

Baekhyun turned his face away, lifting his chin in playful defiance, “No chance.”

Sehun smiled, slowly swiveling his body back towards the piano, “No no, you said a slim chance. Which means puppy kind of likes me, otherwise you would have said no chance first.”

Baekhyun puffed up, snorting in annoyance before he answered, his pouting lips prevalent in his speech, “No, it’s a zero chance.”

Sehun laughed a little, realizing there was still warmth in Baekhyun’s voice as he answered him. If Baekhyun was really disgusted by it, he wouldn’t talk in such a light way.

Feeling reassured, Sehun decided to change the subject, not needing any more information from Baekhyun. He looked up at the music sheets sitting on the piano, reading the name of the song. He lifted his hand to press a key on the piano, the sound causing Baekhyun to finally look back at him.

“Are you practicing for something?”

Baekhyun licked his lips and took a deep breath, “Yeah, the Seoul Youth Vocal Competition. A bunch of different schools are participating in it.”

Baekhyun stood up to reach for his music folder, and sat back down as he flipped through it. He pulled out a flyer, and handed it to Sehun to look at. Sehun examined the paper, reading the words slowly.

“Oh yeah, I know about this. Junmyeon is entering it.”

Baekhyun tightened his fist on his lap, Junmyeon’s name bringing him discomfort, “…Your best friend, right?”

“You remember him?” Sehun asked, lifting his eyes to look back at Baekhyun.

“I saw him at the hospital.”

Sehun paused thinking to himself, “…That’s right, I forgot.”

There was a moment of silence as Baekhyun stared down at his lap, looking at his own tightened fists, “…You two seem really close.”

Sehun nodded, putting the flyer down on the piano, “He can see them too.”

Baekhyun raised his head in surprise, “…You mean…ghosts?”

Sehun smiled, nodding again, “We prefer to call them spirits, but yeah. That’s how we became friends.”

Baekhyun remained silent in thought, not exactly thrilled about that news. Still, he felt relieved that he also knew about Sehun’s secret. Junmyeon wasn’t the only one he could talk to about it anymore.

Sehun stared at Baekhyun as he thought to himself, admiring his cute expression. His lips were pouting a little, as if he was thinking about something very serious. While Baekhyun’s mind was busy, Sehun slowly leaned towards him, their faces close together. Baekhyun tilted his head up curiously, but before he could ask anything, Sehun suddenly lunged forward to press their lips together in a kiss. Baekhyun felt a shock go through him, his heart jolted by what felt like a lightning bolt.

Sehun cherished the feeling of Baekhyun’s lips for only a short moment before he pulled away, smirking at Baekhyun as he got up off the bench and raised his arm to pat the top of Baekhyun’s head, messing up his hair.

“I’ll let you get back to practice.”

Baekhyun watched in astonishment as Sehun began to walk away, going back to the window. After gaining his senses, Baekhyun quickly reached for his bag, tossing it towards Sehun and smacking him on the back. Sehun stopped to laugh a little as he turned his head to look at Baekhyun again.

“You can’t just kiss me like that!” Baekhyun shouted.

“Why not? We’ve done it before.” Sehun smirked, leaning down to sit on the windowsill.

Baekhyun watched as Sehun hopped down out the window, turning to face Baekhyun again once he landed on the grass outside.

“You sing really well by the way. I’m sure you’ll do well.” Sehun spoke warmly as he gave Baekhyun a smile.

A compliment. Sehun just gave him a compliment. That’s all Baekhyun could think in the small amount of time left that Sehun was standing there. Baekhyun instantly blushed, caught off guard by it. He remained in baffled silence as Sehun walked off, disappearing from the limited view of the window.

Once he was gone, Baekhyun noticed how hard his heart was pounding. He took a deep breath, and then proceeded to flop forward onto the piano, pressing multiple keys with his forehead, making an unpleasant sound come out. He remained there, repeating Sehun’s words in his mind, and the kiss.

If Sehun wasn’t flirting with him, he was going to strangle him.


	10. Just a Little Longer

Baekhyun’s whole body was still quivering slightly when he went to his next class, unable to shake the thought of Sehun’s kiss from his mind. He was barely paying attention when the teacher started speaking, making some kind of announcement to the class. It was only when Sehun’s name was mentioned that he finally lifted his head to look at the front of the room.

Sehun was already staring at him, and smiled a little once they made eye contact. Baekhyun gulped, his heart rate speeding up as they kept their eyes locked. After introducing himself, Sehun was instructed to seat himself in one of the empty desks. Sehun walked towards the back of the room, making his way to the closest available desk near Baekhyun. Baekhyun continued staring at him as he sat down, and once he was situated, Sehun turned to look over at Baekhyun again.

Sehun smirked, giving Baekhyun a wink as he simultaneously made a quiet smacking sound with his lips to send him a kiss. Baekhyun’s entire chest tightened, even just looking at Sehun’s lips was a little much for him to handle at the moment. He immediately acted out in embarrassment by kicking out his leg to try and hit Sehun’s feet. Sehun laughed lightly, watching as Baekhyun tried his best to reach him.

“Your legs are too short.” Sehun whispered as he moved his legs away from Baekhyun’s searching foot.

“Shut up.” Baekhyun answered quietly as he recoiled his leg, snorting a little as he turned his face away from Sehun.

Sehun kept his eyes on Baekhyun, smiling to himself as Baekhyun started to take out his book and pay attention to class. The teacher had already begun their lesson, reading aloud some text in a monotone voice. Baekhyun spent a while trying to figure out where they were until he eventually flipped to the correct page. Reading along, he tried his best to ignore the fact that Sehun was sitting next to him, and certainly didn’t notice that Sehun was still staring at him.

Sehun used his foot to push down the heel of his other shoe, allowing himself to pull his foot out. He slowly crept his leg across the gap separating their desks, his foot carefully finding it’s way to Baekhyun’s ankle. Baekhyun flinched a little once he felt the sudden touch of Sehun’s toes, sneaking underneath the hem of his pant leg.

Baekhyun kicked his leg lightly, trying to smack Sehun away as he continued looking down at his book. However, it didn’t help much, and Sehun’s foot quickly returning to Baekhyun’s ankle. He began caressing his skin, rubbing his toes up and down the small amount of Baekhyun’s leg that he could reach.

Baekhyun started breathing heavily, he was torn. He didn’t really want to resist, highly enjoying the feeling of Sehun’s caress, but he didn’t want to give in to it either. However, because of his indecisiveness he ended up ignoring Sehun, allowing him to continue. For a few long minutes Sehun continued affectionally stroking Baekhyun with his toes, smiling as he stared at Baekhyun’s shy expression, his cheeks visibly getting more red.

It was the teacher who ended up interrupting them, finishing reading the text he looked up at the class, and Sehun quickly pulled his leg back under his desk. His foot never returned for the rest of class, and Baekhyun tried his best not to look at him.

Once class was over, Baekhyun waited for Sehun to leave first. Sehun walked out of the room without even a glance in Baekhyun’s direction, leaving Baekhyun alone at his desk. Baekhyun hoped he wouldn’t see Sehun for the rest of the day, he was far too embarrassed to look at him.

That hope was short lived.  
  
  


——————————————————————

 

Baekhyun bent down to touch the tips of his fingers to the top of his shoe, stretching his legs for a moment before he switched to his other foot to do the same thing. His friends were next to him, doing some other stretches as they got ready to run a few laps on the track.

Baekhyun felt relieved to have them there, since Sehun had also been added to this gym class. He assumed Sehun wouldn’t try to tease him as much as long as his friends were around. However, he was entirely wrong.

Sehun waited for a good moment, watching as Baekhyun continued to bend over and touch his toes. Chanyeol and Jongin were far too absorbed in their own exercises to notice Sehun approach Baekhyun from behind. Once Baekhyun popped up for a moment to switch legs again, Sehun leaned in to whisper to him.

“Looks like you can spread your legs wide too.”

Baekhyun abruptly turned around, startled to hear Sehun’s voice. He was greeted with Sehun’s usual smirk, and Baekhyun quickly glared at him.

“You are such a pervert!”

Chanyeol and Jongin both looked over once they heard Baekhyun shouting, and immediately rushed to him after they spotted Sehun. They stood on either side of Baekhyun, glaring at Sehun as they held onto Baekhyun’s arms.

“Excuse me? Who’s the pervert? You’re the one who suddenly kissed me.” Sehun defended in a playful voice.

Chanyeol and Jongin both looked down at Baekhyun in dismay, really hoping he would deny it. Baekhyun puffed up, knowing he couldn’t properly defend himself while his friends were listening. 

“You know why I did that.”

That was definitely not the answer Chanyeol and Jongin wanted to hear, and they both felt a pain in their hearts as they continued to listen to the argument.

“It doesn’t matter why you did it. You still kissed me.” Sehun continued smirking, enjoying watching the frustration grow in Baekhyun’s eyes.

“Well you kissed me too! You’re still a pervert!”

Chanyeol and Jongin didn’t think they could feel much worse, but those words certainly did the trick. They weren’t sure how to react though, it wasn’t clear if Baekhyun needed to be defended since he also kissed Sehun.

“Puppy was the pervert first.” Sehun smiled, stepping back a little as the teacher started to call everyone to line up on the track.

Baekhyun snorted as he watched him walk away, knowing Sehun was the real pervert of them both, regardless if he was teasing him or not. Chanyeol and Jongin both let go of Baekhyun’s arms, neither of them saying a word as they followed Baekhyun to the track. They didn’t even want to ask what exactly had happened between Baekhyun and Sehun, knowing no matter what the answer was it would still upset them.  
  
  


——————————————————————

 

Sehun scrolled through a list of jokes on his phone, all about short height. It had been a week since he started going to Baekhyun’s school, and it was difficult to think of things to say to Baekhyun each morning at his locker. He was constantly writing down ideas when they popped in his head, but sometimes he needed some help.

He was suddenly torn from his chain of thoughts as he heard the doorbell ring downstairs. It was rather late, and he was surprised someone would come over at this time. He didn’t remember his parents mentioning anything about a guest.

Curiously, he came down the stairs to get a peek at the visitor, watching as his father answered the door. Sehun felt his heart pound as the door swung open, revealing Baekhyun standing outside. Baekhyun looked up at Sehun’s father anxiously, his voice small and fragile.

“…I’m sorry for bothering you so late…Is Sehun here?”

Sehun quickly went down the remaining steps, walking over to the door and stepping in front of his father. Baekhyun turned his head to look at him, and upon seeing Sehun’s face, his eyes immediately began to water. He suddenly stepped inside the door, reaching for Sehun to grab onto him.

“…S-Sehun.”

Sehun raised his arms to grab onto Baekhyun as well, concerned why he was suddenly crying, “What’s wrong?”

“…I n-need your help.” Baekhyun spoke between his increasing sporadic breaths, tugging on Sehun, “Please…come with me.”

Sehun glanced over at his father, going to ask for permission. His father nodded, a look of concern on his face as well. He remembered Baekhyun from the hospital, and knew he wasn’t anyone he should be worried about. He looked over at the car parked on the street, realizing someone had driven Baekhyun here.

Sehun followed Baekhyun to the car, and Baekhyun continued holding onto his hand as they walked together down the path. Sehun noticed tears were still trickling down Baekhyun’s cheeks, he didn’t want to try to ask him what had happened. He figured he would learn soon. They got in the backseat together, and the driver turned around to greet Sehun.

“Hi, I’m Baekhyun’s mother.” She smiled as sweetly as she could, grief clearly in her expression as well.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Sehun replied, still holding hands with Baekhyun.

“Sorry for suddenly taking you away like this…Baekhyun really wanted to see you.”

Sehun squeezed tightly on Baekhyun’s hand, smiling softly at Baekhyun’s mother, “It’s no problem.”

Sehun sat silently during the short drive, eventually letting go of Baekhyun’s hand to wrap his arm around him. Baekhyun continued to quietly weep, making small quivering breaths, and Sehun tried his best to comfort him by affectionally rubbing his shoulder. Once they got to what Sehun presumed was Baekhyun’s house, they stepped out of the car together to make their way to the door, holding hands again as they walked.

Sehun froze for a moment after stepping into the living room. It suddenly became clear to him why Baekhyun had brought him there.

Baekhyun’s father was sitting on the couch, also consumed by grief with his head hunched downward. But he wasn’t the one Sehun was staring at, he was staring at the old woman standing next to him. A person he knew no one else in the room could see.

“I’ll be in my room with Sehun.” Baekhyun told his mother, his voice still unstable.

Baekhyun’s mother simply nodded, sitting down next to her husband. Sehun made eye contact with the spirit, mouthing the words ‘ _Come with us_ ’ to the old woman. She had been looking at Sehun curiously ever since he entered the room, surprised he was staring in her direction.

Sehun followed Baekhyun down a hallway, and stepped inside his room as Baekhyun closed the door. He was pleased to see that the spirit had followed them both. She stood next to Baekhyun as she continued staring at Sehun curiously.

Baekhyun stepped forward to rest his head against Sehun’s chest, sobbing louder now in the privacy of his room. Sehun raised his hands to hold Baekhyun, caressing him softly for a moment before speaking.

“She’s here with you right now.”

Baekhyun paused, his breath halting in surprise, “…You can see her?”

Sehun nodded, smiling at the old woman who was more shocked than Baekhyun, “Yes, she’s right here Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun turned to look where Sehun eye’s were staring, and let out a sudden sob. The woman’s expression looked pained as well, hating seeing Baekhyun like this.

“I love you Grandma.”

Sehun watched her start crying, obviously wishing she could hold Baekhyun. Sehun caressed Baekhyun some more, comforting him through his tears.

“Let me talk to her. You’d like to talk to her too, right?”

Baekhyun nodded, thankful that Sehun was able to understand why he had brought him here without having to say anything. Sehun smiled at Baekhyun’s grandmother again, speaking to her warmly.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Sehun.”

_“You can really see me and hear me?”_

“Yes, I have the ability to see spirits. I want to help you.”

The grandmother smiled at him, coming closer to them both, _“Would you please tell Baekhyun I love him too.”_

Sehun shook his head lightly, “No, you should tell him.”

The grandmother stared at him in confusion briefly before Sehun continued.

“I also have the ability to lend you my body. It will be much better for you to talk to him.”

_“You can really do that?”_

Sehun nodded, “I’m going to close my eyes and put myself in almost a trance. Give me a moment, and then try to enter my body.”

The grandmother nodded back at him, hopeful that this would really work. Baekhyun stepped away from Sehun, anxious to speak to his grandmother. They both watched as Sehun closed his eyes, his body relaxing as he lowered his consciousness.

After waiting for a long moment like she was instructed to, the grandmother eventually tried to enter Sehun’s body. She stepped over to him, until she was overlapping Sehun’s body with her own ghostly spirit.

Opening her eyes, she stared down at Baekhyun who was looking at her with such a desperate expression. Taking in a breath, she could tell she was in Sehun’s body. She instantly reached for Baekhyun, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Baekhyun sweetheart! Please don’t cry! I love you honey! Grandma is all better now. I’m not in pain anymore. Don’t be sad sweetie.”

Baekhyun couldn’t answer her, he just started weeping again. He could tell it was really her, she always talked to him like that. He clutched onto her tightly, all the things he wanted to say to her suddenly vanishing from his mind.

“It’s ok sweetie. Grandma is ok.” His grandmother continued consoling him, rocking him in her arms as she occasionally made gentle hushing sounds.

After finally calming Baekhyun down, he remained quiet in Sehun’s arms, simply enjoying his grandmother’s embrace. Sehun spoke to the grandmother in his mind, telling her that he could help explain the situation to the rest of Baekhyun’s family as well. She happily accepted his offer, and told Baekhyun they were going to go find his parents.

Sehun told the grandmother all the questions the family should ask to verify that it was really her. They were very skeptical at first, but knowing that Baekhyun was confident about it and wouldn’t dare pull something so disrespectful, they tried their best to be receptive to it. Even they couldn’t deny it after asking her a few of their own personal questions, and ran to hug Sehun along with Baekhyun as they all cried together.

Eventually they returned to Baekhyun’s room, the grandmother wishing to sit down on his bed and hold Baekhyun as he tried to fall asleep. She realized how late it was, and didn’t want Baekhyun staying awake any longer. Baekhyun refused at first, afraid of falling asleep, but she eventually got him to lay down. Baekhyun curled up inside Sehun’s legs, resting against Sehun’s chest as she sat against the pillows.

Baekhyun couldn’t help blushing a little at laying with Sehun like this. It was so wonderful to be this intimate with him, cuddling in his arms. He didn’t want to say goodbye to either his grandmother or Sehun in the morning. He wished the sun could somehow delay it’s eventual rise.

After telling Baekhyun everything she wanted to say, she started to hum a familiar song to him, a song she usually liked to sing ever since Baekhyun was a child. Baekhyun listened carefully to every note, enjoying not only the song, but Sehun’s voice. It was a precious memory to him, and brought tears to his eyes as he slowly relaxed.

As she finished the song, she spoke to Sehun in her mind, “Thank you Sehun dear, please watch over Baekhyun for me.”

Sehun felt her suddenly vanish, and he was left alone with Baekhyun in his bed. He closed his eyes as he concentrated on bidding her farewell, wishing her a happy passage like he always did.

He didn’t want to tell Baekhyun she was gone, and continued to rub Baekhyun’s back to make it seem as if nothing had changed. It took a long while before he heard Baekhyun start breathing heavily, sleep finally taking him.

Sehun readjusted his body, scooting them both further down so they could lay under the sheets together. He held Baekhyun closely, caressing him softly before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Goodnight Baekhyun.”


	11. The Reason Why

Sehun was awoken from his dream as Baekhyun wiggled around in his arms, finding a new comfortable position to lay in. Blinking a few times, Sehun tried to wake up, until the vision of Baekhyun's face became clear to him. Baekhyun was still sleeping soundly, his mouth parted slightly as he took in quiet breaths of air.

Their bodies were pressed closely together, warm and comfortable under the blankets. Sehun smiled, enjoying the relaxed feeling of cuddling with Baekhyun. He began to caress Baekhyun’s back slightly under his shirt, scooting even closer to reach up to his shoulders and gently rub his skin. Baekhyun mumbled happily, nuzzling closer to Sehun in his sleep.

Sehun stared down at his face, admiring his sleeping expression. The corners of Baekhyun’s lips were turned up in a small smile, something Sehun found to be quite irresistible. He used his hand to lift Baekhyun's chin, and leaned forward slowly, staring at Baekhyun’s lips before he got close enough to steal a kiss. Sehun smirked to himself as he held the kiss, noticing the drool present on Baekhyun's lips. After pulling away, he wiped the corner of Baekhyun's mouth, doing his best to remove the drool. Baekhyun mumbled again, but this time he awoke as he smacked away Sehun's hand. 

It took him a moment to remember why Sehun was in his bed, and he stared curiously at Sehun as he recalled what had happened. He wasn't sure who it was trying to wipe his mouth, whether it was really Sehun or actually his grandmother. However, he didn't need to ask after Sehun eventually spoke.

"You even slobber like a puppy."

Baekhyun quickly grabbed his pillow, smacking Sehun in the face with it. Sehun laughed, sitting up as he guarded his face from another attack. Baekhyun continued to hit him with the pillow, until Sehun suddenly grabbed his arm. Baekhyun struggled for a moment, but he was unable to free himself, and was powerless as Sehun leaned forward to steel another kiss.

Shoving Sehun away, Baekhyun let out a shout, his cheeks visibly flushed, "I told you, you can't do that!!!"

Sehun chuckled, instantly returning to his close position to Baekhyun. Baekhyun scooted back slightly, his heart beat increasing as Sehun stared at him, continuously moving towards him as Baekhyun tried to back away.

He was startled when there was a sudden knock at the door, his mother's voice speaking from behind it, “…Baekhyun sweetie, your friends are on the phone, they want to know if it’s ok to come see you.”

Baekhyun coughed a little before he answered, “…Yeah, they can come over.”

They both heard Baekhyun’s mother start talking on the phone, walking away slowly as she spoke in a soft voice. There was a break of silence between Sehun and Baekhyun as they stared at each other, until Sehun eventually sat down, stopping his advancement towards Baekhyun.

“…Sehun…” Baekhyun started, sadness in his voice as the weight of the reason his friends were coming over brought him back to the reality of the other day, “…Thank you.”

Sehun stared at Baekhyun for a moment before a comforting smile grew on his face, “Don’t thank me. I’m glad I could give that to you.”

Baekhyun took a deep breath, trying his best to hold in his emotions, “…I knew she would be leaving soon…But it meant so much to me to be able to spend that small amount of time with her…to talk to her when she wasn’t in pain and could just be her normal happy self again.”

Sehun noticed Baekhyun’s voice slightly trembling as he spoke, and scooted closer to him, reaching out his arms to bring him close into a hug. Baekhyun relaxed his head against Sehun’s chest, wrapping his arms around him to embrace him as well. They remained silent for a long time, Baekhyun thinking deeply about his grandmother as Sehun comforted him with a soft caress on his back.

Eventually Baekhyun started speaking again, his chain of thoughts leading him to a different topic, “…Sehun…You let spirits use your body a lot right?”

“Yeah, whenever I find them.”

“What if they do something you don’t like?”

Sehun smiled slightly, touched that Baekhyun cared so much, “I can evict them if I want, by raising my consciousness again. I also usually tell them my rules before I let them use my body.”

“Oh, I see…” Baekhyun replied before he went quiet in thought again.

It wasn’t long before they heard another knock at the door, his mother speaking again, “Baekhyun, your friends are here."

Sehun let go of Baekhyun, sitting back as Baekhyun answered her, "Come in."

His mother opened the door, letting Chanyeol and Jongin inside. They both halted coming towards Baekhyun once they noticed Sehun in the room...sitting in the bed...also dressed in pajamas. It was obvious by his messy hair and general unkept appearance he had spent the night.

"...Why is he here?" Jongin asked, trying his best to tone down the bitter sound in his voice.

"...Oh, ummm..." Baekhyun started, unsure how to answer.

As Baekhyun hesitated on his words, Chanyeol and Jongin's gaze at Sehun became more fierce, realizing that Baekhyun must have chosen to be consoled by Sehun instead of them during his time of need.

"Why does it matter?" Sehun retaliated, putting his hands back to rest on the bed and relax more.

Giving him one last glare, they turned to look at Baekhyun again. They walked over to him, ignoring Sehun.

"...How are you doing?"

Baekhyun glanced over at Sehun temporarily, taking a deep breath, ”I'm ok...She wouldn't want me to cry..."

Sehun watched as Baekhyun had a long conversation with his friends, both of them trying their best to cheer him up and talk about other normal topics. They had even brought a few of Baekhyun’s favorite snacks, and reluctantly shared them with Sehun as they all ate them together.

Eventually they started to play some games, doing anything to distract Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s mother continued to bring food into the room as the hours passed, each time taking a moment to smile at Sehun with gratification.

Once it had finally gotten dark outside, Chanyeol and Jongin regretfully dismissed themselves, tomorrow being a school day. They were hoping Sehun might leave first, and it had become this unspoken battle between them as the time drew near to go home. However, Sehun wasn’t showing any signs of wanting to leave, and they had to finally give up. Their last hope was that their departure would spur Sehun’s as well.

Unfortunately for them, it did not. Baekhyun thanked them and said goodbye to them, Sehun still remaining on the bed beside him. It was the last vision they saw as they closed the door, and they were rather unhappy about it.

“Are you going to be ok?” Sehun asked softly.

“Yes. Thank you Sehun.”

Sehun smiled at him, he could tell by the tone in Baekhyun’s voice that he was doing much better. He reached for his phone, calling his parents and asking them to come pick him up. Baekhyun watched him, wishing somehow he could sleepover again. He loved the feeling of Sehun’s arms around him, snuggled up close and warm in bed. 

As they waited, they nibbled on some remaining snacks. Sehun looked up at Baekhyun, watching him for a moment before speaking.

“Are you coming to school tomorrow?”

Baekhyun swallowed his bite, looking up at Sehun as well, “Yeah, it will be better to go than staying here.”

Sehun nodded in agreement, picking up another piece of food. They talked about their classes for a while until Sehun’s phone eventually buzzed, getting a text from his parents letting him know they were there.

Sehun hopped off the bed, only adjusting his clothes for a moment before he started to make his way over to the door. Baekhyun could tell that Sehun wasn’t going to say anything more to him, that he was going to step out of his door without even giving him the smallest of partings. It bothered Baekhyun, or more like hurt him, that Sehun always left this way. Even though they went to school together now, Sehun’s previous disappearances were painful for him, and moments like this only reminded him of it.

“…Why don’t you ever say goodbye?” Baekhyun asked in a quiet voice, a tinge of sadness hanging over his words.

Sehun hesitated in silence, keeping his hand on the doorknob. He eventually turned his head, moving slowly to look back over at Baekhyun again, an almost somber expression on his face.

“I hate saying goodbye.”

It took a moment for the full meaning behind those words to sink in, but once Baekhyun understood what Sehun was implying, it finally all made sense to him. He realized that saying goodbye was an all too common occurrence for Sehun, and of a much more serious nature than a brief parting. He remembered a few instances when Sehun used to say bye to him at his locker in the past, and wondered if he had developed more of an aversion to it as he got older, or more appropriately, after experiencing saying goodbye too many times.

Baekhyun got up off his bed, going over to Sehun with a sympathetic smile, “Well, how about see you later?”

Sehun shook his head, “It doesn’t really matter how you say it…”

Baekhyun nodded, understanding that the moment itself was what made him uncomfortable. Still, saying nothing at all was so awkward for Baekhyun, and he wanted to think of something he could say before he left.

“Have a safe trip home.” Baekhyun decided to reply, hoping this might be a better way of parting.

Sehun smiled at him, twisting the doorknob as he opened the door slightly, “Have a good night Puppy.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun waited until gym class was over and everyone was busy getting water from the fountain. He watched Sehun take a drink, standing up slowly after he was done, and wiping the excess moisture off his mouth. He smirked once he noticed Baekhyun staring at him, obviously waiting for him.

“Need something to drink Puppy?” He asked in a deep suggestive voice.

Baekhyun glared at him, “I know what you mean by that. Stop being a pervert.”

“I was just asking if you’re thirsty, you’re the one with a dirty mind.” Sehun laughed.

“What’s your favorite food?” Baekhyun abruptly asked, trying to get to the main point of why he was talking to Sehun.

Sehun stared at Baekhyun curiously for a moment before answering, “Why?”

“As a thank you gift…Just pick whatever you want and we can go there.”

Sehun’s smirk returned, noticing the last part of the sentence, “Like a date?”

Baekhyun let out a puff of annoyance, “No, it’s a gift from my mom. I would never go on a date with you!”

Sehun continued smirking, licking his lips to get the water still lingering on them, “Bubble tea.”

Baekhyun paused, thinking about it for a moment, “Are you sure? You don’t want something more expensive?”

“I told you already, I don’t need any thanks. But I can’t refuse a gift from your mom, so I pick bubble tea.”

Baekhyun sighed, “Fine, but don’t be afraid to change your mind.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Yes, after school. My mom wanted me to treat you.”

Sehun raised his arm, patting the top of Baekhyun’s head, “All right, it’s a date then.”

“It’s not a date!” Baekhyun shouted as he watched Sehun start to walk away, ignoring his frustration.

Sehun smiled to himself as he left, thoroughly looking forward to later that evening. In Sehun’s mind, it was definitely a date, and he was glad to finally share one with Baekhyun without having to lend his body to someone else the whole time.


	12. It's a Date

“Do you want us to come over to your house today?” Chanyeol asked with genuine concern in his voice.

Baekhyun smiled at him, shaking his head, “Oh, no it’s ok. I’m going out. Thanks for asking.”

“You are? Where?”

“Just to get some bubble tea.”

“With your family?” Chanyeol asked, wondering why Baekhyun wouldn’t want them to tag along.

“No, with Sehun.” Baekhyun answered, still completely unaware that Chanyeol and Jongin had feelings for him, and that mentioning Sehun was a touchy subject.

“Oh.” Chanyeol answered after a long hesitating silence, “…That’s nice.”

Baekhyun noticed that Chanyeol seemed unhappy about it, and decided to explain further, “Look, I know he seems like a jerk, but he’s actually not. We’re just playing around. Don’t worry about me.”

Chanyeol coughed slightly, this information actually making him feel worse. Neither he or Jongin were blind to how close Baekhyun seemed to be with Sehun, and they were getting really concerned about it. They realized they needed to act fast if they were going to compete in gaining Baekhyun’s affection.

 “Hey, Baekhyun…”

“Yeah?” Baekhyun asked curiously.

“…After you’re done at the bubble tea place…Want to go out and see a movie?”

Baekhyun smiled, nodding in agreement, “Sure.”

Chanyeol smiled as well, relaxing slightly, “Ok great. I’ll text you later.”  
  
  


——————————————————

 

Sehun watched as Baekhyun sucked up his tea in his straw, a few tapioca balls popping into his mouth before he started chewing on them. Sehun smirked to himself, deciding not to say anything, the innuendo too obvious to be clever in any way.

“This is really good!” Baekhyun smiled, “The tapioca here is yummy.”

“Yeah, I think they’re made with honey or something.” Sehun answered.

“Do you come here a lot?” Baekhyun asked, lifting his straw to his lips to take another sip.

“Yeah, after school if I’m not busy helping spirits.” Sehun answered, taking a quick sip before talking again, “I usually meet up with Junmyeon here.”

Baekhyun paused, keeping the liquid in his mouth for a moment before swallowing, “…Oh.”

Sehun smiled, noticing the disappointed look on Baekhyun’s face, “Are you jealous?”

“Of course not.” Baekhyun snorted, quickly taking another sip from his drink, “Why would I be?”

“I don’t know, you shouldn’t be jealous.” Sehun smirked, playing with the straw in his mouth, “Since this is a date.”

“It’s not a date!” Baekhyun shouted quietly, slamming his drink down on the table in frustration.

Sehun continued smirking, clearing his throat before he spoke, “Date: Two people getting together for an activity when the possibility of romance between them has been broached but not ruled out. And since we both already know I’m going to kiss you at some point during this evening, it is definitely a date.”

Baekhyun shook his head glaring at Sehun, “Did you seriously look up and memorize the definition just to be a smart ass?”

“Just to get you to admit it, yes.”

Baekhyun leaned back in his seat, letting out a sigh. Although he was pretending to be annoyed, he was secretly considering this a date as well. He was still playing hard to get, and although he was trying to make Sehun go through a loop for him, he felt like he was the one doing it instead. Still, it was nice to see how much Sehun wanted to consider this a date. Baekhyun was starting to get the feeling that Sehun was less teasing him, more trying to flirt with him. At least he really hoped so, and decided to let him win this one.

“Fine. It’s a date.”

Sehun smiled, pleased that he got Baekhyun to say it, “Was that so hard? Someone needs to train you Puppy, or you’ll never go on very many dates.”

Baekhyun lifted his drink, fuming for a second as his hand shook slightly, “I am seconds away from throwing this at you.”

Sehun chuckled a little, enjoying the adorable expression on Baekhyun’s face, “See? This is bad behavior. You’ve thrown a drink at me before. Such a naughty puppy.”

Baekhyun took a deep breath, deepening his glare at Sehun. Sehun smirked as he leaned closer to Baekhyun, pressing their bodies together as he whispered in his ear.

“Should I teach you some obedience?”

Baekhyun’s face flushed as he shoved Sehun away, shouting at him in embarrassment, “You’re such a pervert!”

Sehun laughed again, watching Baekhyun as he huffed angrily. Venting his frustration, Baekhyun shoved his tea back in his mouth, chewing on his straw slightly as he took a very long drink. Sehun smiled as he copied him, picking up his drink as well.

“How is your practice for the competition going?” Sehun asked, realizing Baekhyun needed a change in the subject to calm down a bit.

Baekhyun visibly relaxed at Sehun’s question, and relented chewing on his straw to answer, “Good, but there’s still a few phrases I need to work on.”

“I only heard a small part and I can already tell you’ll do great.” Sehun smiled warmly, doing his best to encourage Baekhyun.

Baekhyun only stared at Sehun for a moment before lowering his eyes, a sad expression suddenly growing on his face as he stared at his tea. He began rubbing his thumb on his drink, wiping off some of the condensation in a mindless task to comfort himself.

“…I was really hoping my grandma could come and watch me…I was dedicating the song to her.”

Sehun slowly raised his hand to hold onto Baekhyun’s arm, squeezing it gently, “She’ll be watching you.”

Baekhyun inhaled deeply as he nodded, looking back up at Sehun with a smile, “You’re right.”

Sehun squeezed him again in reassurance before moving his hand away. Before he could say more, he watched as Baekhyun’s eyes shifted behind him, looking at someone that had suddenly approached them. Sehun turned in his seat to look as well, and noticed Junmyeon smiling at him.

“Sehun, you didn’t tell me you were coming here today.”

“Hey Junmyeon. Sorry, this is…” Sehun trailed off, wondering how exactly to word it.

“A date.” Baekhyun added, a stern expression on his face as he stared at Junmyeon.

Sehun smirked as he looked over at Baekhyun, surprised to hear him say it. Baekhyun smirked back at him, sticking out his tongue a little playfully.

“…A date?” Junmyeon asked, trying his best to keep his voice composed.

“Yes, a date.” Sehun smiled, turning back to look at Junmyeon again, “We were just talking about that singing competition. I forgot to tell you, Baekhyun is entering it too.”

Junmyeon glanced over at Baekhyun, “You are?”

Baekhyun nodded lightly, “Yeah. Good luck to you.”

“Good luck to you too.” Junmyeon responded, a much colder tone in his voice.

Sehun suddenly lifted his arm, putting it over Baekhyun’s shoulders as he pulled him closer, “Anyway, we need to get back to our date. Sorry.”

Junmyeon tightened his fists, taking a moment before he responded, “Ok.”

Baekhyun didn’t bother shoving Sehun away, and allowed him to continue holding onto him as Junmyeon walked off. Sehun waited until Junmyeon was gone to say something, enjoying the expression on Baekhyun’s face.

“Jealous again Puppy?”

“What?” Baekhyun huffed, “I am not jealous.”

“Well you certainly wanted to make it clear we are on a date.”

“Isn’t that what you forced me to admit it is?” Baekhyun sneered at him.

Sehun smiled, enjoying Baekhyun’s annoyed expression for a moment. He had been waiting for it, for Baekhyun to give him another nasty look like this one. Without warning, he suddenly leaned over and placed a kiss on Baekhyun’s taut lips, holding him close with his arm. Baekhyun smacked him, quickly pulling himself away with a shout.

“Stop it!”

“Why?” Sehun teased, trying his best not to laugh.

“Just because this is a date, it does not make us boyfriends! You can’t kiss me!” Baekhyun answered as he turned his face away, a pout on his lips.

Sehun took another moment to appreciate Baekhyun’s face, thoroughly enjoying himself. Moving slowly, he leaned in to whisper to Baekhyun, his breath sending a chill through Baekhyun’s body before he spoke.

“Lesson one: Every time you give me a nasty look I’m going to kiss you.”

Sehun was expecting to get shoved away again, noticing the irritation on Baekhyun’s face grow from his words. However, instead, Baekhyun decided to lunge towards him, clamping his mouth down on Sehun’s shoulder to bite him. Sehun smirked, relishing in the feeling as Baekhyun continued to gnaw on him. Looking down to watch Baekhyun, Sehun made a tsk tsk sound, shaking his head as he spoke.

“That biting of yours, such a bad habit.”

Baekhyun ignored him, only biting down harder in his frustration. Sehun moved his hand down Baekhyun’s back, holding onto his waist to pull him closer, speaking to him quietly.

“Looks like you need another lesson.”

Before Baekhyun could react, Sehun bent his head down, opening his mouth to slowly bite down on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Baekhyun felt his heart throb, for the first time realizing how intimate it felt to be bitten like that. He remained still, both of them keeping their mouths on each other for a moment as Baekhyun grew more and more nervous. At last he broke away, shooting out of his chair and grabbing his drink off the table.

“That’s it, this date is over!” Baekhyun shouted, his cheeks visibly red as he started to walk away.

“Wait Puppy, come back.” Sehun laughed, quickly grabbing his drink before following Baekhyun.

Baekhyun stuck his drink inside his mouth, sucking on his straw with a scowl on his face. Sehun caught up to him, walking alongside him with a smile. They walked with each other silently, Sehun realizing Baekhyun needed a little time to cool off again. Baekhyun felt his phone buzz inside his pocket, and realized it must have been Chanyeol. That’s when it suddenly hit him, that he had a chance to possibly make Sehun jealous. He smiled to himself as he removed the straw from his mouth, hoping this would finally make Sehun go through a loop for him.

“I need to meet up with Chanyeol anyway.”

Sehun hesitated slightly, the smile disappearing from his face, “Chanyeol? He’s your tall friend right?”

“Yup, we’re going to the movies together.” Baekhyun answered as he stole a glance at Sehun, hoping to see him looking distressed.

However, Sehun didn’t appear to be bothered by it at all, and responded in a carefree manner, “Have fun.”

“That’s it?” Baekhyun asked in an automatic disappointed reaction.

Sehun turned to look at Baekhyun curiously, a smirk growing on his face, “Yeah? Did you expect something else?”

“No.” Baekhyun immediately answered, looking away quickly in embarrassment, “…What if it was a date though?”

“Is it?” Sehun tried not to laugh, noticing Baekhyun was trying his best to make him jealous.

“…No.” Baekhyun reluctantly admitted, realizing he no longer held any leverage.

“Ok then.” Sehun smiled, taking another sip from his drink.

Baekhyun let out a loud snort, taking a few quick steps forward to get ahead of Sehun, “Whatever, I’m going now.”

Sehun allowed a quiet chuckle to escape, which Baekhyun heard and only caused him to walk faster. Sehun watched Baekhyun’s adorable stomping with amusement, clearing his throat before calling out to him.

“Thanks for the bubble tea Puppy.”  
  
  


——————————————————

 

Chanyeol was a nervous wreck, he barely spoke to Baekhyun as they met up and decided on a movie. Once they were seated together, Chanyeol realized he didn’t even offer to buy Baekhyun’s food for him. He scolded himself as the movie started, feeling like he had already partially failed. He really wanted to make this a perfect outing for the both of them.

During the movie, Chanyeol was still too nervous to make a move on Baekhyun in any way, and never raised his arm to even hold him. However, he did laugh with Baekhyun at the humorous scenes, and felt a strong giddy sensation build up inside him from witnessing Baekhyun’s beautiful smile. It only encouraged him more, that he didn’t want Baekhyun to be taken away from him.

After the movie ended, they went outside together, still laughing about the film as they walked along the sidewalk. They discussed a few of the scenes, asking each other’s opinions for a while until Baekhyun felt his phone buzz. He reached into his pocket to grab it, and was surprised to see a text from Sehun on his lock screen. Not even bothering to hide it from Chanyeol, Chanyeol glanced over to see the text as well.  
  
Sehun:  
 _Hi Puppy_  
  
Baekhyun smiled triumphantly, positive that Sehun was finally getting jealous. He quickly began typing, ignoring Chanyeol as he answered Sehun. Chanyeol continued watching, really hoping that he wouldn’t see anything too romantic.  
  
Puppy:  
 _What is it?_  
  
Sehun:  
 _I just wanted to make sure. You asked for a child ticket right?  Because you might as well get the discount if you can get away with it_  
  
Baekhyun’s expression instantly turned sour, and he buried his phone back in his pocket, ignoring Sehun. Chanyeol was relieved to see their conversation, glad to know that it wasn’t affectionate in any way. It gave him confidence, and he suddenly stopped moving to speak.

“…Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun noticed Chanyeol stop, and turned to face him, staring at him curiously, “What’s up?”

Chanyeol hesitated, staring at Baekhyun’s face underneath the illumination of the streetlight. They were alone, the road empty since it was so late at night. He gulped loudly, trying his best to force the words out.

“…I love you.”

Baekhyun went stiff, staring back at Chanyeol in silence. There was a long awkward moment, neither of them speaking as they continued to remain still.

“…Chanyeol…I…”

“You don’t have to say anything. Please just think about it.”

Baekhyun closed his mouth, pressing his lips close together. He felt terrible, knowing he didn’t have to think about it at all. Chanyeol was only a friend to him.

“…I’m sorry…” Baekhyun slowly responded, “I already have someone else I like.”

Chanyeol lowered his head, another long moment passing in silence. Baekhyun stared at him in concern, not really sure how he was going to react. Eventually Chanyeol took a deep breath, looking back up at Baekhyun with a broken expression.

“…We should go. It’s late.”

Baekhyun slowly nodded, watching as Chanyeol started to walk away. He followed behind him, realizing that Chanyeol needed some space. He felt another buzz in his pocket, but ignored it for the time being. Not another word was spoken as Chanyeol took Baekhyun home, bringing him to his door. It was obvious that Chanyeol was trying to fight back crying, and Baekhyun spoke to him softly.

“Good night.”

Chanyeol only nodded, waving at Baekhyun before walking away, leaving him at his door. Baekhyun watched Chanyeol for a moment in concern, hoping he would be ok. After going inside and laying in his bed, Baekhyun took out his phone to see another message from Sehun.  
  
Sehun:  
 _Is puppy mad at me again?_  
  
Baekhyun rolled on his side, staring at the text as he thought to himself. He was in no mood to fight, but was happy to have someone to talk to, especially Sehun.  
  
Puppy:  
 _Hey, do you want to play a game?_  
  
Sehun:  
 _A game?_  
  
Puppy:  
 _Yeah, I found this app that’s really fun, we can play together. give me a sec, I’ll send you the link_  
  
Sehun:  
 _Ok_


	13. Sehun's Turn

Chanyeol didn’t come to school the next day, but Baekhyun wasn’t surprised, he figured he might not see him. He wondered how long it would take Chanyeol to recover, and when he would be able to talk to him again like normal. He really hoped this hadn’t destroyed their friendship. 

It seemed like Jongin was oblivious as to why Chanyeol was absent, and Baekhyun decided it would be best to explain it to him after school. He waited until gym class to approach Jongin, making sure he didn’t have any plans that day.

“Hey, are you free after school?”

Jongin noticed Sehun watching them, and a cocky smile grew on his face before answering Baekhyun, “Yeah I’m free, why?”

“Want to go out somewhere?”

Sehun couldn’t help eavesdropping, and he became a little tense as he continued spying on them. Sehun had no problem with Chanyeol, he was harmless. It was clear at the bowling alley that Chanyeol was a soft hearted person. But Jongin was another story, Sehun didn’t exactly have the best impression of him after their fight. It was obvious that Jongin was a little more aggressive about his feelings, and that made Sehun uncomfortable.

“Sure, I’d love to. Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know, it doesn’t really matter. Anywhere you want to go?”

Jongin paused, thinking long and hard about it before he answered. He wanted to go somewhere with a romantic atmosphere, not somewhere they usually went together.

“We can get dinner somewhere nice. I’ll pay for it.”

“You don’t have to pay for it.” Baekhyun laughed, “I eat too much.”

“I want to.” Jongin smiled back at him, “I feel bad about the last time we hung out.”

Baekhyun sighed, making a cute pout with his lips, “Well then fine, I accept. You do owe me for that.”

Sehun was getting more and more uncomfortable, realizing that Jongin was doing his best to make it a date. His mind was already going wild thinking about what Jongin might try to do. Sehun took a deep breath, anger building up inside him. He couldn’t let it happen.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun finished changing his shoes, and closed his locker once he had grabbed all his belongings. He wasn’t too shocked when he spotted Sehun standing behind the door, since it happened to him so frequently.

“Another short joke?” Baekhyun asked, sneering at Sehun a little.

“I told you what happens when you look at me like that.” Sehun smirked, extremely tempted to kiss Baekhyun in front of everyone at school.

“What do you want?” Baekhyun turned his head away in embarrassment, really hoping Sehun wouldn’t do that.

“Let’s go somewhere.” Sehun suddenly answered, trying his best to remove the desperation from his voice.

Baekhyun glanced back at him curiously, “Right now?”

“Yeah. We can get pizza from that Red Tomato place. You really like pizza right?”

Baekhyun was a little stunned, first that Sehun was asking him out somewhere so suddenly, and second that Sehun knew he loved pizza.

“How do you know that?”

“When you were telling Doyoon everything you like, you went off about pizza for a while.”

Baekhyun remained silent for a moment, touched that Sehun remembered that information, “…Sorry, I already have plans to get something to eat with Jongin.”

“Just cancel it.” Sehun abruptly replied, already expecting this answer.

Baekhyun smiled slightly, finding Sehun’s behavior very odd, “I can’t, I need to talk to him.”

Sehun took a deep breath, getting uncomfortable again, “Ok, talk to him, and then come meet up with me.”

Baekhyun stared into Sehun’s eyes, trying to read his expression. He was starting to wonder if Sehun was actually getting jealous for once. Suddenly realizing he had the opportunity to make Sehun go the extra mile for him, Baekhyun smiled confidently.

“I don’t know, maybe.”

Baekhyun turned and started to walk away, really hoping Sehun would chase after him. Sure enough, Sehun joined him, walking next to him.

“What do you mean maybe Puppy?”

“Maybe, if I feel like it.” Baekhyun smirked.

Sehun was getting very concerned, really not wanting to play around with the prospects of that night. He couldn’t force Baekhyun to go with him, but he suddenly remembered something that he knew would possibly make Baekhyun change his mind. He stopped walking, and Baekhyun turned to look at him curiously.

“Ok, I’ll just go with Junmyeon then.”

Baekhyun’s face visibly became upset, as much as he wanted to hide it. Still, he tried his best to repress his displeasure in his voice, answering Sehun calmly.

“Sure, whatever.”

Sehun watched as Baekhyun walked away, feeling slightly reassured by Baekhyun’s obvious annoyance with that proposal. He could only hope that meant that Baekhyun would actually come. He really didn’t want to have to stalk Baekhyun, and possibly get in another fight with Jongin.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

“So…I wanted to talk to you about Chanyeol.”

Jongin wasn’t exactly thrilled with these words after ordering their food at the restaurant. It certainly wasn’t what Jongin had hoped to talk about.

“Oh. Is he ok? Do you know why he didn’t show up at school today?”

Baekhyun hesitated, his face showing his concern for Chanyeol, “…He confessed to me last night.”

Jongin froze, going silent in thought. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but it made him feel nervous. Baekhyun sighed, looking up at Jongin with a worried expression.

“I told him I already like someone else…It’s my fault he didn’t show up today. He’s really upset.”

Jongin couldn’t help repeating the first part of Baekhyun’s statement in his mind, not able to move on from it.

“You like someone?”

Baekhyun nodded, his expression getting a little happier, “Yeah…I really should have said something sooner. I know you guys have already noticed…I was just kind of embarrassed.”

Jongin’s eyes dimmed, all hope that it might be him disappearing with Baekhyun’s words, “…It’s that guy…Sehun right?”

Baekhyun smiled, nodding again, “Yeah.”

Jongin took a deep breath, realizing it was his turn to admit defeat, except he had to be more discreet about it. He put on a brave face, not wanting Baekhyun to feel concerned about him as well.

“I see.”

“Anyway, I hope you can comfort Chanyeol in my place. He really needs some support right now.”

Jongin nodded, feeling like it would be good for both of them, “Ok, I’ll go see him tonight.”

“Good. I just really hope this doesn’t destroy our friendship.”

Jongin stared into Baekhyun’s eyes, giving him the warmest smile he could, “Don’t worry Baekhyun, it won’t.”

Before Baekhyun could answer, their food was brought to them, set on the table in front of them. They both silently began eating, Baekhyun happily enjoying his meal as Jongin secretly watched him. Jongin had a hard time eating, not in the mood for it at all, but he forced himself to keep Baekhyun in the dark about his feelings.

“So…I hate to do this…” Baekhyun spoke after cleaning off his plate, “But Sehun actually invited me to hang out with him tonight…”

Jongin was honestly relieved to hear these words, wanting to escape this dinner himself. He put on a fake smile, putting down his fork as he also finished eating.

“Go ahead. You’re probably excited to see him, right?”

Baekhyun blushed a little, nodding shyly, “Yeah…”

“I’ll take care of the check. You can leave now if you want.”

“Are you sure?” Baekhyun asked in surprise.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jongin answered as he continued to keep his brave face.

Baekhyun smiled at him, getting up from the table, “Thanks Jongin! I’ll see you tomorrow!”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun rushed to the Red Tomato, an irritation in the back of his mind that he would see Sehun eating with Junmyeon. Luckily he wasn’t very far away, and it didn’t take him long to get there, even on foot. Opening the door to the restaurant, Baekhyun looked around at the tables. 

He hesitated in surprise when he spotted Sehun sitting by himself, holding onto his phone and staring at it with a concerned expression. Baekhyun approached him slowly, wondering why Sehun looked so worried.

“Hi.” Baekhyun smiled, sinking down in the seat across from him.

Sehun was startled by his voice, and instantly put away his phone, nervously hiding it, “Hi…You came.”

“Yeah. I felt like it.” Baekhyun smirked playfully, “Where is Junmyeon?”

“He couldn’t make it.” Sehun lied, never actually asking Junmyeon to come with him in the first place, “You didn’t spend very long eating with Jongin.”

“No. We had a quick talk.”

Sehun stared at Baekhyun curiously, wondering what happened. He knew there was no way Jongin would let him leave so early, which meant it had to have been Baekhyun that wanted to cut their evening short. Sehun smiled a little to himself, imagining that Baekhyun really was antsy to come see him.

“So, you already ate right?”

“Yeah, I’m not hungry.”

“Want something to drink?”

Baekhyun nodded, smiling happily, “Sure.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

It took a few weeks before Chanyeol, Jongin and Baekhyun were able to hang out with each other normally again. Chanyeol and Jongin had come to grips with the fact that Baekhyun liked Sehun, and were doing their best to move on. As Baekhyun’s friends, they just wanted him to be happy. 

Still, they weren’t exactly sure if Sehun was the answer to Baekhyun’s happiness, and maintained a protective attitude towards him whenever Sehun got near him. However, Baekhyun continuously reminded them that they were only playing around, and that Sehun really was a nice person. Unfortunately Baekhyun couldn’t describe the depth of Sehun’s kindness to his friends, and hoped they would eventually understand.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun walked towards Sehun’s locker slowly, holding a small envelope in his hands. He was already blushing, feeling embarrassed to offer the envelope to Sehun. Sehun turned his head once he noticed Baekhyun had approached him, and smirked at his bashful expression. He closed his locker, giving Baekhyun his full attention.

“Hey Puppy.”

Baekhyun took a deep breath, holding out the envelope for Sehun to take, “Here.”

Sehun stared at the envelope curiously before taking it, flipping it over to look at the text written on it. Baekhyun could feel his face getting hotter, but he forced himself to explain despite his embarrassment.

“…It’s a ticket to the vocal competition. I had an extra.”

Sehun hesitated, taking a moment to admire the fact that Baekhyun wanted to invite him, knowing that it wasn’t just an extra, “Thank you, but Junmyeon already gave me one.”

“Oh…right. I should have known.” Baekhyun shyly replied, feeling even more embarrassed than before.

“It’s in two weeks right?” Sehun asked, handing back the envelope.

Baekhyun quickly grabbed it, nodding as he lowered his face, “Yeah. Two weeks.”

Sehun smiled, raising his hand to ruffle Baekhyun’s hair, “I’ll be there Puppy.”

Baekhyun lightly smacked Sehun’s hand away, resuming his usual defiant expression, “Don’t do that.”

Sehun continued smiling, realizing that Baekhyun was really embarrassed, “What, I can’t even touch your hair now?”

Baekhyun glared at him, “No, you’re not allowed to do anything unless I say so.”

Sehun lowered his eyelids, smirking at him seductively, “I think you’re forgetting Puppy, I’m the one training you.”

Baekhyun felt his heart tighten, Sehun’s expression making him feel weak. Suddenly reaching forward, Sehun wrapped his hand around Baekhyun’s waist, pulling him closer as he spoke quietly.

“And you’re giving me that nasty look again.”

Baekhyun’s cheeks burned even brighter, his heart pounding as he listened to Sehun’s words, fearing that Sehun might actually kiss him right there in the hallway. Sure enough, Sehun began to lean towards him, bringing their faces closer together. Baekhyun tightly shut his eyes, knowing he wouldn’t be able to fight Sehun off, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he waited. 

However, he was surprised when he felt Sehun’s lips press down against his cheek, giving him a gentle kiss. Sehun smirked as he pulled away, knowing that wasn’t what Baekhyun was expecting. Baekhyun took one look at his amused expression and immediately smacked him, pushing himself away.

“Don’t touch me pervert!” He shouted loudly, abruptly turning around to stomp off.

Sehun couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, wondering how Baekhyun would have reacted if he actually kissed him. He could tell by the look on Baekhyun’s face, he was disappointed that he didn’t.


	14. Exposed

Baekhyun pressed a few keys on his keyboard, warming up for a minute before he began practicing. He had a small keyboard set up in the corner of his room, his headphones plugged into it so he wouldn’t disturb his parents. He hummed along with the piano, leisurely having fun before he started singing.

He stopped once his phone buzzed, noticing the screen light up as it sat in front of him on the keyboard. Baekhyun reached for it, looking at the message and reading the name of the person who sent it to him. He felt a nervous pang in his heart once he realized it was Sehun, completely expecting it to be Jongin or Chanyeol.  
  
Sehun:  
_What are you doing Puppy?_  
  
Baekhyun bit down on his bottom lip, smiling like a fool to himself as he typed a response.  
  
Puppy:  
_Just practicing_  
  
Sehun:  
_At home?_  
  
Puppy:  
_Yeah_  
  
Sehun:  
_Do you have a piano?_  
  
Puppy :  
_No, I just have a keyboard_  
  
There was a short break before Sehun replied, taking a moment to double check the date.  
  
Sehun:  
_The competition is tomorrow right?_  
  
Puppy:  
_Yes_ >.<  
  
Sehun:  
_Come over to my house. You can use our piano_  
  
Baekhyun paused, reading over Sehun’s words a few times. He began to wiggle his feet in excitement, another silly grin appearing on his face as he responded.  
  
Puppy:  
_Really, are you sure? Your parents won’t mind?_  
  
Sehun:  
_I’m home alone right now_  
  
Baekhyun felt another nervous pound of his heart, just imagining being alone at Sehun’s house with him. He squeezed his phone tightly in his hands, waiting a moment before responding.  
  
Puppy:  
_Let me go ask my parents_  
  
Baekhyun placed down his phone, hurrying out of his room to go find his mom, missing another text from Sehun.  
  
Sehun:  
_Make sure they know it’s a date_ (￣3￣)  
  
  


————————————————————————

 

Sehun showed Baekhyun into a large room with a piano, the rest of the room filled with a collection of souvenirs from his father’s travels. Baekhyun looked around at everything in awe, slowly making his way towards the piano, which was in the center of the room. He placed his hand on it, carefully opening it to reveal the keys. It was the most expensive piano Baekhyun had ever touched, and was excited to hear the quality of the sound.

Sehun watched him, pleased that he was able to give Baekhyun the opportunity to practice using an actual piano. He went over to the window, opening it to let in some fresh air. It was a pleasant warm temperature that day, and Sehun figured Baekhyun would appreciate the breeze. 

“Go ahead and practice as long as you want.” Sehun spoke softly, smiling at Baekhyun a little.

Baekhyun smiled back at him, “Thank you Sehun.”

“No problem. I’ll leave you alone for now.”

“Thanks…” Baekhyun said again, pausing for a moment in embarrassment as he forced himself to say more, “…You can stay if you want though, I don’t mind if you watch.”

Sehun smirked, enjoying that Baekhyun wanted him to stay, “No it’s ok, I was going to make some food anyway. I’ll just let you concentrate for a while.”

Baekhyun simply nodded, a little disappointed that Sehun wasn’t going to stay. He watched as Sehun left the room before he decided to seat himself at the piano, placing his music in front of himself. He moved his hand across the keys, picking out his favorite note to press down on. A clear and beautiful sound resonated from the piano, and Baekhyun smiled to himself in joy of being able to play the instrument.

It didn’t take long for him to became engrossed in his practice, losing track of time as he enjoyed himself. He didn’t realize he had already been practicing for a few hours, and Sehun decided it was finally time to come visit him. He smiled to himself as he snuck up behind Baekhyun, moving quietly so Baekhyun wouldn’t hear his footsteps. Baekhyun continued playing, pausing temporarily to make a note on his music sheet, completely unaware of Sehun coming up behind him.

Reaching out his hands, Sehun suddenly grabbed Baekhyun's sides. Baekhyun shouted as he jumped a little on the bench, startled and afraid of the sudden attack. But his fear quickly turned to anger once he heard Sehun start chuckling.

“Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry Puppy.” Sehun smiled, sitting down on the bench next to him, “I couldn’t resist.”

Baekhyun huffed, looking back at his sheet music. He ignored Sehun as he examined the pages, trying to concentrate on his notes. Sehun looked over at them as well, unable to read music he was easily impressed by Baekhyun’s ability to do so.

“Do you think you’re ready?” Sehun asked, staring at all the notes and wondering if Baekhyun had accomplished his goal of performing it the way he wanted.

Baekhyun let out a sigh, feeling nervous about tomorrow, “Yeah, I think so.”

“I was listening to you.” Sehun smiled as he looked over at Baekhyun again, “It was beautiful.”

Baekhyun blushed, looking over at Sehun as well as he shyly answered, “…Thanks.”

Sehun focused on Baekhyun’s bashful expression, admiring him as they maintained staring at each other. Baekhyun looked so soft, his lips a more vibrant shade of pink thanks to the warm weather. Sehun wasn't sure if it was the pleasant temperature, but he felt incredibly comfortable sitting next to Baekhyun at that moment. It reminded him of the time they had cuddled together, everything seeming so peaceful and perfect, as if they were wrapped up in a blanket together.

Baekhyun felt it too, the serenity of the moment and the calm in Sehun's eyes. Without being able to resist, they simultaneously leaned towards each other, giving into their vulnerability and weakness for each other's touch. Softly they pressed their lips together, a warm tingling feeling coming over both of them. 

A gentle breeze swirled through the room, playing around them as they held the kiss. Baekhyun had never felt such ecstasy, a perfect moment of bliss. However, he eventually realized how transparent he was being, exposing himself by allowing Sehun to kiss him.

Embarrassed, Baekhyun backed away, smacking Sehun's arm, "You're a total pervert!”

Sehun merely smirked, confidently locking eyes with Baekhyun, "You went for that kiss too, just admit that you wanted it.”

Baekhyun turned his head away, "I would never kiss a pervert like you.”

Sehun continued smirking, staring at Baekhyun for a long moment before speaking again, “Want to take a break for a while?”

“…Ok.” Baekhyun answered nervously, wondering what Sehun had in mind.

“Come on, let’s go in my room.” Sehun replied as he suddenly stood up, “We can play a game or something.”

Baekhyun took a deep breath, nodding slightly as he stood up as well. He followed Sehun out of the room, making their way upstairs to his bedroom. Baekhyun felt his heart throb with each step he took, being alone in Sehun’s room making him more nervous than just being alone at his house together. Sehun opened the door, allowing Baekhyun to step inside first before he closed it behind them. Baekhyun remained still, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room as he concentrated on his pounding heart.

Sehun approached him with a smile, noticing that Baekhyun was being shy. He was always amused when Baekhyun acted this way, it was such a contrast to his usual spunky self. Sehun moved in close to him, sneaking his hands around his waist to press their bodies tightly together, whispering in his ear quietly.

“Are you nervous Puppy? I’m sorry, I can’t promise I won’t bite.”

Baekhyun went to shove him away, letting out a shout as his cheeks flushed with color. However, Sehun knew Baekhyun would react this way, and held Baekhyun tighter in his arms to keep him there. He suddenly lunged his head down, smashing their lips together in a kiss. Baekhyun mumbled on their lips, still attempting to fight a little as he struggled to break free. But his attempts became more weak as Sehun continued kissing him, until at last he stopped resisting at all, giving into his desire for Sehun’s attention.

Baekhyun could feel his whole body getting hot, each kiss making him melt until even his breath was consumed by a lethargic spell. Unconsciously he moaned on Sehun's lips, his hands reaching to grasp onto Sehun’s chest, bundling his shirt in his fists. Sehun continued assaulting Baekhyun with kisses, his hands urgently grabbing onto him to pull him closer. His hands desperately crawled down Baekhyun’s back, hungry to taste his flesh. He shoved them inside Baekhyun’s pants, instantly gripping onto Baekhyun’s cheeks as he started to grind against him. Baekhyun yanked his lips away, breathing heavily as he spoke to Sehun.

“Don’t touch me.”

Sehun smirked, squeezing Baekhyun’s butt as he stared into his eyes, “What are you going to do about it?”

Baekhyun quickly leaned forward to return his mouth with Sehun’s, instantly bitting down on Sehun’s bottom lip. Sehun made a deep sound of pleasure, almost grunting in lust. They quickly resumed kissing, hot messy passes of their lips as they rocked their bodies together, the friction making them lose control.

Sehun pulled himself away next, his voice aggressive with impatience, “Bite me again Puppy.”

Baekhyun swallowed deeply, licking his lips before moving his head to bite down on Sehun’s shoulder. Sehun inhaled slowly, extremely pleasured by the feeling. He leaned his head down, clasping his mouth around Baekhyun’s earlobe, tugging on it with his teeth. Baekhyun shivered as Sehun began to move his mouth, kissing on Baekhyun’s exposed neck as his hands wandered to Baekhyun’s shirt, pulling it off. Baekhyun also reached for Sehun’s clothes, ripping at them hastily as he enjoyed the feeling of Sehun’s lips on his sensitive skin.

Simultaneously throwing their shirts aside, Baekhyun didn’t waste any time lunging forward again, returning his mouth to Sehun’s shoulder to sink his teeth down on his bare skin. It was the first time Baekhyun bit Sehun’s flesh, only ever chewing on the fabric of his clothing before. Sehun could feel Baekhyun’s wet tongue pressing against him, and it aroused him more than ever before.

He suddenly shoved Baekhyun down onto his bed, his mouth returning to Baekhyun’s neck after he crawled on top of him, pressing urgent kisses on his body that quickly migrated towards his chest. Baekhyun melted into the bed, his limbs becoming weak as he exhaled softly. Sehun’s mouth trailed across his skin, finding his way to his nipples. Baekhyun’s whole body jolted in pleasure, letting out a gasp as Sehun bit down on one, suddenly sucking on it. Sehun groaned deeply, continuing to play with it in his mouth. As he sucked on it, he started grinding against Baekhyun again, this time in-between his spread legs.

Baekhyun rolled his head back, letting out weak breaths of pleasure, also grinding against Sehun as their bodies moved together in lust. He moved his hands to grip onto Sehun’s hair, massaging his fingers on his scalp as Sehun continued nibbling and sucking on him. He could feel his underwear getting wet, his erection throbbing each time Sehun pulled off his nipple, sucking on it hard before it slipped out of his mouth. Baekhyun’s thrusting became more urgent, and his weak breaths turned into uncontrollable cries of satisfaction.

Sehun noticed Baekhyun was getting impatient, but he wasn’t done playing with him yet. He smirked as he moved to his other nipple, holding onto Baekhyun’s body tightly as he began to suck on it as well. Baekhyun gasped again, his other nipple had become more sensitive after being ignored for so long, and the feeling of pleasure had only amplified. His thrusting became violent, a mess of high pitched breaths and cries escaping his lips as he longed for attention to another part of his body, almost pulling on Sehun’s hair as they continued moving their pelvises together.

At last Sehun stopped, pulling away to move up towards Baekhyun’s face, aggressively pressing their lips together in a kiss. Baekhyun moaned, his body still rocking back in forth in anticipation. Their lips moved quickly, Sehun deeply groaning as they smashed their lips together over and over again, his hands gripping so tightly on Baekhyun that it left red marks as they slid across his skin. 

Baekhyun was starting to feel dizzy, his chest tightening as he listened to Sehun’s groans. He continued to get pushed further and further down into Sehun’s sheets, and it made Baekhyun hyper aware of his surroundings, the reality of the situation sinking in. It made him nervous again, to think that they were alone in Sehun’s room, kissing each other in his bed. His breath became heavy, his heart throbbing with each pass of their lips. It was finally obvious to Baekhyun, Sehun wasn’t just teasing him.

Breaking away from Baekhyun’s lips, Sehun moved his head to start assaulting Baekhyun’s soft skin with gentle bites, nibbling on his collar bone and shoulder. Baekhyun quickly lunged forward as well, biting Sehun back as he sunk his teeth into his upper arm. Moaning together, they both began biting each other wherever their mouths could reach, leaving marks all over each other’s skin.

Suddenly Sehun sat up on his knees, staring down at Baekhyun intensely as he reached for his pants, desperate to take them off. Sehun hastily unfastened them, laying onto his back and pulling them down his legs to throw them on the floor. But before he could remove his underwear, Baekhyun suddenly leaned forward, putting his mouth on his crotch. Baekhyun found Sehun’s head, gently nibbling on the fabric covering it. Sehun inhaled deeply, staring at Baekhyun’s lips, wishing he could feel the moisture from his mouth.

Baekhyun smirked, looking up into Sehun’s eyes, “Of course you’re big.”

Sehun smirked back him, lust clear in his eyes. Reaching forward, he grabbed onto Baekhyun’s shoulders, pushing him back onto the bed, making Baekhyun gasp in surprise. Without wasting any time, Sehun unfastened Baekhyun’s pants as well, ripping them off. Sehun returned their lips together, kissing him urgently as they both moved their hands to each other’s underwear, pulling them both off.

Moving faster than before, they kissed each other with an intolerable need, their naked skin pressed against each other. Sehun suddenly lowered his hand, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s length, starting to pump it up and down. Baekhyun moaned, moving his hips in time with Sehun’s hand, digging his nails into Sehun’s back as he pulled him closer.

“Feel good Puppy?” Sehun asked quietly, moving his head close to Baekhyun’s ear.

Baekhyun couldn’t answer, his breath too labored in pleasure. He suddenly reached down for Sehun’s length as well, biting on Sehun’s shoulder as he began to work his hand up and down Sehun’s large shaft. Sehun groaned deeply, moving his mouth to bite on Baekhyun’s shoulder, concentrating on the feeling of Baekhyun’s tiny hand. They both lost themselves for a moment, pumping each other quickly, keeping their mouths clamped down on their skin.

Reluctantly pulling himself away, Sehun stared into Baekhyun’s eyes, taking heavy breaths, “Just a second.”

Baekhyun watched Sehun curiously as he scooted away, going to his nightstand. Digging through it, Sehun quickly pulled out some lube, snapping open the cap to immediately squirt some on his hand. Coming back over to Baekhyun, Sehun held out the bottle, offering to squirt some in Baekhyun’s hand as well. Baekhyun held open his palm, watching as Sehun gave him a decent sized glob.

Instantly returning to lay on top of Baekhyun again, Sehun started kissing him, pushing his lubricated fingers inside Baekhyun’s hole. Baekhyun trembled, moaning softly as he concentrated on the feeling of Sehun moving slowly in and out of him. After a little while, he returned his hand to Sehun’s length, lathering Sehun as he moved at the same slow pace.

Sehun grunted on their lips, thrusting along with Baekhyun’s hand. They moved slowly together for a long time, breathing heavily as they held long sensual kisses. Carefully adding more digits, Sehun tried to prepare Baekhyun for his large size. They eventually separated their lips, keeping them close as they continued to breath heavily together, highly enjoying the slow pace of each other’s hands.

At last Sehun finally removed his fingers, and Baekhyun loosened his grip on Sehun, letting his hand slide off him. Kissing Baekhyun affectionately, Sehun adjusted their bodies, aligning himself with Baekhyun’s hole. Baekhyun held onto Sehun tightly, gripping onto his back as he felt Sehun shove his length inside him. His body trembled again, moaning softly on Sehun’s lips as he tried to relax, allowing Sehun to get deeper and deeper. Sehun paused for a moment once he was fully inside, relishing in the feeling as he continued kissing Baekhyun. After a little while he began moving, slowly pulling out to gently shove himself back in. Baekhyun’s grip loosened on his back, becoming intoxicated by the feeling.

They both lost track of time as they moved slowly together, neither one of them wanting it to end. Sehun moved his lips to Baekhyun’s neck, kissing him softly, dragging his lips across his skin to plant another loving kiss. Baekhyun closed his eyes, cherishing the feeling as he continued to let out soft exhaling breaths. 

Sehun gradually began to push Baekhyun’s legs up, bending his knees so that Sehun could get better access. He started to move a little faster, able to slip in and out easier at this angle as he held on Baekhyun’s legs. Baekhyun suddenly let out a louder cry, Sehun gently hitting his sensitive gland. He clutched onto Sehun’s back tighter again, speaking in a shaking breath.

“Right there.”

Sehun smirked, going for the same spot again, “Right here Puppy?”

Baekhyun let out another loud cry, nodding quickly in response as he bit on his lip. Sehun smirked, staring at Baekhyun’s face as he continued to hit against his sweet spot. It was making him even more horny, the clear satisfaction on Baekhyun’s face. He gripped tighter on Baekhyun’s legs to keep them in place, speaking to him aggressively.

“Want me to go faster Puppy?”

Baekhyun nodded again, squeezing tightly on Sehun’s back in anticipation for the faster movement. Sehun didn’t hesitate, and immediately began thrusting himself deep and hard into Baekhyun at a faster pace. Baekhyun started screaming, the pleasure he felt more intense than anything he had ever experience before, each time Sehun rammed into him an overwhelming sensation filled his entire body. Sometimes he even lost his breath, and no sound was able to escape his lips as his mind exploded in pleasure.

Sehun deeply enjoyed all of Baekhyun’s sounds, but causing Baekhyun to lose his breath was possibly his favorite. He began to thrust himself even faster, listening to Baekhyun’s voice continuously increase in volume, until Baekhyun suddenly tightened up around him. Sehun grunted, relentlessly keeping his fast pace, the level of pleasure amplified by Baekhyun squeezing down on him. Going at an aggressive speed, Sehun chased his climax, feeling it getting close.

Slamming into Baekhyun deeper than ever before, they both moaned loudly. Baekhyun felt an explosion of warm liquid fill inside him, and he let out a weak breath as he released as well, getting Sehun’s body wet. Sehun slowly lowered down on top of him, kissing his collar bone again as he relaxed.

They laid quietly together, their heavy breaths the only sound in the room. Sehun slowly began to caress his body, kissing him softly as he rubbed his hand across his skin. Baekhyun stared up at the ceiling, concentrating on Sehun’s touch. Eventually he closed his eyes, his breath finally returning to normal as he relaxed. Sehun scooted up so their faces were close together, and laid his head next to Baekhyun’s as he also closed his eyes.

Suddenly they heard the front door downstairs opening, and Sehun shot his head up in panic. He immediately grabbed Baekhyun’s hands as he started to pull him up, a worried expression on his face.

“Shit, it’s my parents. Come on, let’s go wash off real fast.”

Baekhyun nodded, following Sehun into his bathroom. They jumped in the shower even though the water was still cold, and hurried to wash off their bodies. After getting clean enough, they quickly hopped back out. Sehun grabbed a towel and dried off Baekhyun’s body for him, rubbing his entire body. Baekhyun smiled as Sehun pampered him, loving the special attention. Sehun dried himself off next, and then they both returned to the bedroom to get dressed.

As they were still finishing pulling on their shirts, Sehun’s mother knocked at the door. Sehun looked over at Baekhyun to make sure he was dressed before he answered it. His mother smiled at him, noticing Baekhyun in the room as well.

“Oh, you have a friend over? It’s Baekhyun, right?”

Sehun nervously smiled back at her, “Yeah.”

“Hi Baekhyun. It’s nice to have you over.” She smiled sweetly.

Baekhyun bowed slightly, answering in a timid voice, “Hi.”

Sehun’s mother stared at them both curiously, suddenly noticing how they were both a little wet. Sehun realized she had noticed, and quickly started speaking again.

“I invited him over to use our piano. He’s practicing for that vocal competition that Junmyeon is also entering.”

“Really? How fun! I’d love to hear you play, that poor instrument hardly ever gets used.”

Baekhyun smiled, nodding since he wasn’t really sure how to answer.

“The competition is tomorrow right? It’s getting kind of late, you should get some rest.”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun answered nervously, “I should probably get going.”

Baekhyun looked over at Sehun, wishing he had more time to discuss what happened. Sehun smiled at him, admiring Baekhyun for a moment before he answered. He didn’t want to say goodbye yet either, but he had an idea in his mind on how to make it up to Baekhyun.

“I’ll see you to the door.”


	15. The Competition

Baekhyun stared at himself in the mirror, breathing in and out slowly as he tried to calm himself. He played with the sticker attached to his shirt, a number printed on it that represented when it was his turn to perform. Looking into his own eyes, a warm smile grew on his face, comforted by a special memory.

“This is for you Grandma.”

He was startled a little as the door to the bathroom opened behind him. Quickly grabbing his belongings, Baekhyun started to make his way out of the room, but stopped once he recognized the person who had just entered. Junmyeon was standing behind him, it seemed like he wanted to talk to him.

“Oh, hi.” Baekhyun smiled, noticing that Junmyeon’s expression was more pleasant than usual.

“Hi.” Junmyeon answered, smiling back at him warmly, “I’ve been looking for you. Sehun really wants to talk to you before you preform.”

“…He does?” Baekhyun asked with a slight hitch in his voice, a nervous pound in his heart at hearing Sehun’s name.

“Yeah. Here, follow me. I know where he is.” Junmyeon waved his hand as he turned around, starting to leave.

“Ok.” Baekhyun smiled again, quickly following after Junmyeon. He clutched tightly onto the music sheets in his hands, wondering what Sehun wanted to say to him. He was honestly glad Sehun wanted to talk to him, he knew it would help calm his nerves. Sehun always had a way of making him feel relaxed.

Junmyeon led Baekhyun to another room, opening the door for him so he could step inside. It seemed like a storage room of some kind, and Baekhyun was a little confused as he looked around, not spotting Sehun anywhere. Suddenly he heard the door slam behind him, and Baekhyun abruptly turned his head to see that Junmyeon hadn’t come in the room with him. Panicked, Baekhyun rushed to the door to try and open it, but he was too late as he listened to the sound of Junmyeon locking the door.

“What are you doing?!” Baekhyun shouted, relentlessly pulling on the doorknob.

“What do you think?!” Junmyeon shouted back, anger clearly present in his voice, “You’ll never understand what Sehun and I go through! I’ve always been the one who’s been there for him, because I’m the only person he can relate to! I won’t allow you to take everything from me! Not Sehun, and not this competition either!”

Baekhyun listened helplessly to Junmyeon’s footsteps running away, leaving him trapped in the dark storage room. There were no windows, and Baekhyun didn’t have his phone on him to contact anyone. He crumpled against the door, a painful feeling growing in his chest at thinking he wouldn’t get to perform. He had spent so long practicing, the motivation behind it something much more meaningful than winning.  
  
  


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Sehun stared down at his ticket, trying to find his seat number. He scooted through the narrow aisle, looking at the numbers labeled on the chairs. Before he could find it however, he suddenly was approached by Chanyeol and Jongin.

“Need something?” Sehun asked, noticing it looked like they had something to say.

“Have you…” Jongin started, reluctance in his voice at having to ask Sehun this question, “…Seen Baekhyun?”

“Baekhyun?” Sehun replied in surprise, “…No I haven’t, isn’t he suppose to be backstage?”

“Yeah…But we can’t find him anywhere.” Chanyeol added, clearly distressed, “We thought you might know.”

Sehun glanced around the auditorium, his face quickly becoming concerned as well. He could see Baekhyun’s parents getting arranged in their seat, a bouquet of flowers in his mother’s hands.

“You tried texting him?” Sehun asked.

“No, he doesn’t have his phone. None of the competitors are allowed to have them.”

Sehun nodded, stepping back with a determined look on his face, “I’ll help you look.” 

Splitting up, Sehun and Baekhyun’s friends searched around the entire backstage. However, they were eventually kicked out as it became time for the performances to start. The auditorium went dark, the announcers getting everyone’s attention to begin the competition. Heading outside, Sehun, Chanyeol and Jongin continued their search. They split up again, running around the exterior of the building.

Sehun was careful to hold onto a flower concealed in his jacket, a surprise gift for Baekhyun he had prepared. As he ran along the building, he tried to think of where Baekhyun might have gone. He knew how important this performance was to Baekhyun, there was no way he would leave. Besides, Baekhyun was such a strong willed person, Sehun knew he wasn’t the type to bail out on a performance. It didn’t make any sense.

Making a turn around the corner, Sehun came to an abrupt stop. He held his breath, witnessing a vision he had never seen before. A young beautiful woman was floating in front of him, smiling at him tenderly despite the concern in her eyes. A soft glow surrounded her, the warmth from it tangible to Sehun as he stood close to her.

Sehun knew very well that she wasn’t a ghost, he had seen enough of them to realize that. This was the first time Sehun had seen one of her kind, and after examining her face, it became clear to him what exactly he was seeing. Mesmerized, he stared into her eyes, at a loss for words for the celestial being before him.

Waving her hand, she summoned Sehun to follow her, her long dress flowing around her as she floated backwards. Sehun didn’t hesitate to chase after her, knowing he could trust her. She began to fly as Sehun ran behind her, no words between them needed to understand where she was taking him.

Stopping in front of a door, the woman turned to face Sehun, a sad expression on her face. Sehun rushed over to the door, grabbing on the doorknob in an attempt to open it, but it was locked.

“Hello?!” Sehun heard Baekhyun sob from the other side of the door, his voice fragile and desperate in tears.

“Baekhyun! I’ll get you out of here, don’t worry!” Sehun shouted, giving the doorknob a few more aggressive tugs.

“Sehun?” Baekhyun asked, his voice lightening in relief.

Sehun let go of the doorknob, turning his head to look at the woman who lead him here, but she was already gone. He glanced down the hall desperately, wondering what he should do.

“Yes, it’s me.” Sehun spoke warmly, “I’ll be right back, ok? I need to find someone with a key.”

Baekhyun hesitated, wondering how Sehun would react to his words, “…Junmyeon has it.”

There was a pause before Sehun replied, clearly confused why Junmyeon would have the key, “Junmyeon?”

“…Yes…He’s the one who locked me in here.”

There was a long moment of silence as Sehun thought over Baekhyun’s statement. Junmyeon had been his friend for the majority of his life, he had never known him to do something so cruel. Still, Sehun had noticed Junmyeon was upset about his date with Baekhyun. He thought Junmyeon might have just been angry that they’d spend less time together if he was dating, but this put it in a whole new perspective.

“I’ll go find him.” Sehun answered, backing away from the door slowly, “I promise I’ll be back.”

“Thank you Sehun.” Baekhyun responded, realizing this must have been hard on him.

As Sehun ran off, an announcement could be heard on the speakers throughout the building, the next number called to come on stage. Baekhyun looked down at his own sticker, knowing that his turn was close.   
  
  


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“Junmyeon!” Sehun shouted, running towards him through the crowd of contestants backstage.

A few adults tried to stop Sehun, but he managed to get past them as he approached Junmyeon. Junmyeon smiled at him, happy to suddenly see Sehun.

“Sehun, what are you doing here?” Junmyeon asked in a chipper voice, a hope quickly flashing through his mind that Sehun wanted to wish him some luck before he went on stage.

Sehun glared at him, suddenly grabbing his jacket and feeling his pockets for the key. After quickly finding it, Sehun ripped it out of his jacket, holding it up for Junmyeon to see. Junmyeon was stunned, he figured there was no way Sehun could have possibly discovered where Baekhyun was locked up, or that he was the one who did it.

“I came for this.” Sehun spoke in a harsh tone.

“…But…How…” Junmyeon stuttered, not even sure where to begin.

“Baekhyun told me.” Sehun interrupted, his breath heavy with frustration, “So this is what you’re really like huh?”

Junmyeon’s eyes widened in fear at hearing Baekhyun’s name. He tried to think of an alibi for himself, but there was no getting around the fact that Baekhyun was locked in a room, and Junmyeon had the key. He decided to abandon the idea of covering up the truth, and spoke the words he had wanted to for a long, long time.

“I hate him.” Junmyeon started, his voice trembling a little in a mixture of anger and sadness, “You’ve never shut up about him. I thought I was finally rid of him when you moved, but now it’s only gotten worse! I can’t stand to see you with him!”

Sehun paused, clutching tightly onto the key in his hand, Junmyeon’s words sinking in slowly. This was a side of him Sehun had never seen before, but obviously these had always been Junmyeon’s secret feelings. 

“This is not the way to handle this.” Sehun answered, anger and sadness in his voice as well, “You could have talked to me about your feelings. Even if my answer isn’t what you want, you need to accept that and move on. I love Baekhyun, I always have. I’m sorry that’s painful for you, but taking it out on him won’t gain you anything. It’s only made you lose a best friend.”

Junmyeon’s clenched his teeth tightly, fighting back his overwhelming emotions, the anger and sadness only continuing to grow inside him. Another number was called as they stood staring at each other, and Sehun sighed as he turned to leave. Junmyeon had nothing else to say, and watched as Sehun ran off, his eyes filling with frustrated tears.  
  
  


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Sehun rushed towards the door, jamming the key in the lock as soon as he reached it, turning it quickly. Swinging open the door, Baekhyun was revealed standing behind it, a fragile look on his face. Sehun reached forward, grabbing onto his hand to pull him out of the room.

“Come on.” Sehun spoke in concern, looking at Baekhyun’s sticker and realizing how close he was to being called.

Baekhyun nodded, and started to run with Sehun as he continued holding onto his hand. Baekhyun tried his best to keep up with Sehun’s long strides, running faster than he ever had before to try and make it back in time. He was worried how winded he might become, but even if he was out of breath, he still wanted to perform.

He glanced over at Sehun happily, speaking to him as they ran together, “How did you find me?”

Sehun was taking heavy breaths as well, and tried his best to answer in-between them, “Your grandmother. I saw her.”

“What? But isn’t she-”

“An angel or something, I don’t know. I’ve never seen one before. But she’s here Baekhyun, she’s watching you.”

Baekhyun felt his chest tighten, the assurance of his grandmother’s presence bringing him a rush of shock and happiness. He remained silent in awe as they finally made it backstage where the other contestants were waiting in line. Sehun helped him find his place, looking at everyone’s stickers before he found Baekhyun’s spot. Baekhyun smiled at Sehun, squeezing his hand before letting go.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” Sehun smiled back, a tender expression on his face, “Good luck Puppy.”

Baekhyun nodded, continuing to smile as he watched Sehun leave. Once he was out of sight, Baekhyun took a deep breath, trying to get his heartbeat and breath back to normal. As he concentrated on breathing in and out slowly, he noticed the person standing in front of him, recognizing his face. After staring at him for a little while, Baekhyun tapped the boy’s shoulder lightly, getting his attention.

“Kyungsoo?! It is you!” Baekhyun smiled brightly.

Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun for a moment, analyzing his face as well, “Baekhyun?”

“Hi! I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Kyungsoo smiled back at him, turning his body to face him better, “Yeah, it’s been like four years right? I should have guessed you would enter this competition though. I’m kind of worried now.”

Baekhyun giggled, smacking Kyungsoo’s arm, “Me too. I would have practiced more if I had known you’d be here.”

Kyungsoo laughed lightly, and went to speak again but was abruptly cut off as his number was suddenly called. Kyungsoo tensed up nervously, gulping before he turned to look at the stage. Baekhyun patted his back, comforting him as he spoke.

“I know you’ll do great!”

Kyungsoo’s smile returned, and he nodded at Baekhyun before he started to walk off, making his way onto the stage. He stood silently in front of the microphone, waiting for his accompanist to start playing.

Chanyeol and Jongin rushed back into the auditorium, just receiving a text from Sehun that he had found Baekhyun. Sehun felt bad approaching Baekhyun’s parents to get their numbers, but he knew that it would be important to Baekhyun for his friends to be there when he preformed. Chanyeol and Jongin quickly sat down in their seats, just in time for Kyungsoo to start singing.

The moment Kyungsoo opened his mouth, they were both instantly enthralled by his voice, mesmerized by his presence on stage. Kyungsoo’s talent easily poured into every note, the entire audience becoming impressed with the most challenging performance of the night. His skill was unmatched by the competitors before him, and the other’s still waiting for their turn quickly fell into despair at the thought of singing after him. Baekhyun however felt a little differently, inspired by and proud of his old friend. He smiled happily watching him, actually finding comfort in the performance.

A loud cheer of clapping and shouts filled the auditorium once he finished, a majority of the audience standing, including Chanyeol and Jongin. Kyungsoo bowed to everyone, a smile on his face in joy that he had done well. As he made his way off stage, Baekhyun’s number was called out on the speaker.

Baekhyun closed his eyes, taking one more large breath as he felt his nerves return. Hesitating for a moment, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on his shoulder, as if someone was touching him. He quickly turned to look behind himself in surprise, but there was no hand on him, only the other students waiting for their turn. He smiled to himself as he continued to feel the warm touch, and reached up with his hand to hold onto it. Baekhyun treasured the feeling, keeping his hand on his shoulder before it eventually faded.

Taking a step forward, Baekhyun let out a long breath. He walked slowly onto the stage, going towards the piano. He placed his music sheets down on the piano before seating himself, adjusting the microphone to reach his height. Closing his eyes, Baekhyun spoke inside his mind, hoping his grandmother could hear him.

_“This is for you Grandma. I love you.”_

His hands slowly raised to the keys, finding their position as he delicately placed his fingers down. Staring at his own hands, he gently began to play. The notes were soft and long, enchanting the audience until Baekhyun’s voice joined them, melding with them to create a beautiful harmony. 

His talent was obvious with every trill and fluctuation he made with his voice, but that’s not what captured the audience. In contrast to Kyungsoo’s performance, it wasn’t the difficulty of the notes that were impressive, but rather the feeling behind them. Baekhyun was communicating something much deeper than just music, a story that needed no words and could only be understood with emotion. 

His voice rang clearly as he reached the higher notes, a mixture of sadness and hope drenching over them that was able to pierce everyone’s hearts. The audience was hanging on every word, getting goosebumps each time he maintained a long note. Eventually his voice slowed down, coming to a stop as he played the last few notes on the piano.

There was a silence in the audience, not one cheer as Baekhyun finished. However, it didn’t take long until Baekhyun’s spell on them faded, and the entire audience stood up to cheer for him. Baekhyun had almost forgotten he was on stage, and turned to look at the audience in surprise as he listened to their loud shouting. He stood up, bowing to everyone as he closed his eyes.

Sehun was cheering the loudest of all, and even though his voice got lost in the ocean of applause, Baekhyun found him amongst the audience and focused his attention on him, smiling at him warmly. They both maintained eye contact for a moment before Baekhyun bowed again, excusing himself from the stage.  
  
  


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The judges had a hard time picking a winner from all the outstanding performances, but in the end it was Baekhyun’s that stuck in everyone’s hearts. After announcing him as the winner, Baekhyun received an award on stage, granting him another round of loud applause.

His parents couldn’t have been more proud of him as they met him backstage, handing him the bouquet they had brought for him, regardless if he won or not. They were soon joined by Chanyeol and Jongin, both of them hugging Baekhyun to congratulate him. They stood and talked to each other for a long time, Baekhyun smiling happily as he clutched onto his flowers. 

Sehun watched him from afar, pulling out his own flower from his jacket. The majority of the petals had fallen off, and the stem was snapped in half. Disappointed, Sehun hid it back in his jacket, realizing he couldn’t give Baekhyun such a sad gift. After all, it wasn’t just the flower he wanted to give him.

Sehun approached Baekhyun slowly, waiting for Baekhyun to notice him before he said anything. Baekhyun quickly spotted him, and smiled as he stepped closer to him.

“That was beautiful Baekhyun, you really deserved to win.”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun blushed, hiding his face a little with the flowers.

Sehun smiled, stepping towards Baekhyun to wrap his arms around him, hugging him gently so he wouldn’t crush the flowers. They held it for a long moment, everyone staring at them as they shamelessly enjoyed each other’s embrace.

Chanyeol and Jongin’s eyes suddenly shifted to the person standing behind Baekhyun, their hearts fluttering as they recognized the boy. Kyungsoo was talking with his family as well, also getting congratulated for winning second place. Eventually Chanyeol and Jongin noticed that they were both staring at him, and they looked at each other curiously.

“…Don’t tell me…” Jongin started, glaring at Chanyeol, “…Not again.”

“Seriously?” Chanyeol sighed, “Why do we always do this?”

“Do what?” Baekhyun asked, stepping away from his hug with Sehun.

“Nothing!” Chanyeol answered nervously, his voice cracking as he shouted his response.

Baekhyun stared at him curiously, not noticing as Sehun leaned towards him. Hidden from everyone’s view, Sehun placed a secret kiss on Baekhyun’s cheek, whispering to him quietly.

“Have a good night Puppy.”

Baekhyun blushed again, unable to stop the giddy smile from appearing on his face. He quickly hid it, embarrassed that he wasn’t able to stop himself. 

“Have a good night Sehun.” He shyly responded.

Sehun smirked, slowly stepping away as he looked at Baekhyun hiding his face, his blushing cheeks visible through the flowers. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow, hoping to see a similar expression on Baekhyun’s face.


	16. True Feelings

Soft footsteps could be heard, the gentle smashing of dirt and grass underneath the rubber soles of tennis shoes as they came closer and closer. The man they were approaching listened to it, but didn’t pay it any attention. He didn’t pay anything attention anymore, because no one paid attention to him.

He was no longer attached to the world the shoes belonged to. It was sad to him, that an inanimate object held more of an existence than himself. Even if it was just a shoe, it could still interact with the world. People could touch it, could feel it, could see it. How he wished he could even just briefly experience the sensation of touching a shoe.

“Hello.” A voice suddenly spoke to him, the sound of footsteps finally coming to a stop.

At first the man assumed he couldn’t possibly be the person the voice was speaking to, but he knew no one else was there. It was a graveyard after all, no one hung around there late at night, except occasional visits from groups of teenagers.

He turned to look at the person, and realized they were staring right at him. It was a young boy, probably around the age of seventeen. In disbelief, the man remained silent, unsure of how to respond. 

“I can see you, I came here to help you.”

“…To help me?” The man asked, wondering if the boy could really hear his voice.

The boy nodded, “Yes, my name is Junmyeon. I can see spirits like you, and I like to try and help them.”

“How can you help me?”

Junmyeon paused, a smile slowly growing on his lips, “How would you like to have a body again?”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

“That’s his room up there.” Junmyeon pointed at one of the high windows, “Remember, you need to make sure he’s asleep. He can see you too, don’t let him. It’s essential that you enter his body when he’s sleeping, that’s the only time his consciousness will be weak enough for you to take over.”

The man nodded, listening carefully to Junmyeon’s words, “And then I come back out here?”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting right here.”

The man nodded again, looking up at the window. Floating away from Junmyeon, he made his way inside the building, his formless spirit going through the wall. Looking around for a moment, he spotted a bed, and Sehun sleeping soundly on it.

Rushing over to Sehun, the spirit stared down at him for a moment, making sure he was in the deep stages of sleep. Sehun was taking in heavy breaths of air, clearly hours into a long dream. Not wanting to waste any time, the spirit lowered himself into Sehun’s body.

Sehun awoke abruptly, startled slightly as he looked around at his room. He shook his head for a moment, trying to remember what dream he was having that forced him awake so suddenly. And then he watched as his body independently stood up from the bed.

Sehun quickly looked down at himself, his hands and legs only a transparent representation of his body. Shocked and horrified, Sehun looked back up at his actual body, which was running out of the room. Without having time to think, Sehun rushed after it, flying through the air as he followed it.

Sehun’s body made his way back outside, running over to Junmyeon. Sehun paused as he watched his body go up to him, surprised to see Junmyeon.

“Junmyeon! Junmyeon can you see me?!” Sehun shouted, coming up to him as well.

Junmyeon smirked, only looking at Sehun briefly before getting closer to his body. Taking a small talisman out of his pocket, Junmyeon suddenly attached the paper to Sehun’s shirt. Sehun recognized the charm, it prohibited spirits from possessing someone.

“Sorry Sehun.” Junmyeon started, looking back over at him, “You made the wrong choice.”

“What…what are you doing?” Sehun asked, fear growing in his eyes.

“You should have picked me. I’m the one who’s always been right beside you. I’m the one who shares the same power as you. We were destined to be together, it’s a shame you can’t see that.”

Sehun could tell just by looking in Junmyeon’s eyes, he had lost all rational thought. There was no reasoning with him. Panicked, Sehun flew towards his body, desperate to take control over it again, but he was shot backwards as the power of the talisman prevented him from getting near.

“…Don’t do this.” Sehun spoke slowly, “Don’t you see? Even if you take my body, that spirit isn’t me.”

“I don’t care anymore.” Junmyeon answered, his voice unnervingly calm and collected, “I can’t stand to see you with anyone else.”

“This is crazy Junmyeon.” Sehun’s shook a little in frustration, “…You just need to move on. This can never be what you want it to be.”

“Shut up!” Junmyeon suddenly shouted, “I don’t want to listen to you!”

Grabbing Sehun’s hand, Junmyeon started to pull his body away, leaving Sehun’s spirit to stand helplessly by his house. As he watched them leave, Sehun’s mind began swirling with ideas on how to fix this. The first answer he immediately came to was Baekhyun. Sehun hoped he was still asleep, that way he could enter his mind the same way his own body was taken over.

However, the sun was already rising. Sehun desperately started flying towards Baekhyun’s house, frantically trying to beat the time on Baekhyun’s alarm. He prayed many times in his thoughts, wishing Baekhyun to keep sleeping.

Unfortunately, as he arrived in Baekhyun’s room, he was devastated to see that Baekhyun was not in his bed. Looking around, he noticed Baekhyun already getting dressed in the bathroom. Sehun flew over to him, staring at him with a painful expression.

Baekhyun had a chipper smile on his face, everything in his world was going perfectly. He woke up extra early, exited to get up and enjoy the new day. He couldn’t wait to see Sehun at school, wondering what he might say to him. They hadn’t had a chance to properly speak about their feelings yet, but Baekhyun was confident Sehun felt the same way about him. He could tell by all the affectionate kisses Sehun had given him.

Prepping himself carefully in the mirror, Baekhyun tried his best to look perfect. Sehun realized Baekhyun was trying extra hard, and watched him with sadness in his eyes. He spoke aloud to him, even though he knew that Baekhyun couldn’t hear him.

_“Puppy you don’t need to try so hard. You always look beautiful to me.”_

Baekhyun continued fixing his hair until he felt it looked good enough. He smiled at himself, puckering his lips into a kiss. Sehun felt a pain in his heart watching him, afraid of what might happen that day.

Just then Baekhyun’s phone buzzed. Baekhyun and Sehun both looked down at it, reading who it was from. Sehun froze in horror when he read his own name, and the message that was written. Baekhyun on the other hand got excited, biting on his lip as he quickly went to answer it.  
  
Sehun:  
 _I want to talk to you before school. Can you come early?_  
  
Sehun watched as Baekhyun wrote his response carefully, deleting and retyping the words, at first putting a heart before deciding to replace it with a smiley face.  
  
Puppy:  
 _Ok! I want to talk to you too :)_  
  
Sehun was starting to feel sick, staring at Baekhyun’s face and seeing the obvious affection in his eyes. It became even more painful as he watched Baekhyun bring the phone to his face, kissing the screen.

_“Puppy…it’s not me…That person isn’t me.”_ Sehun cried, unable to fight back his sorrow.

Baekhyun began rushing to get ready, wanting to get to school as soon as possible. Sehun flew towards him, trying to enter Baekhyun’s body, but Baekhyun’s consciousness wasn’t weak enough to take over. In fact, it was stronger than ever, fueled by his love for Sehun and the happiness of winning the competition the other night.

Sehun watched helplessly as Baekhyun went out the door, only grabbing a small bite to eat before running to school. Sehun reluctantly followed him, the fear growing stronger inside him of what was going to happen next.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun came to a halt when he spotted Sehun standing with Junmyeon, Junmyeon holding onto Sehun’s arm with a smile on his face. It immediately made Baekhyun’s expression turn sour. Sehun stared at them painfully as well, this moment already worse than he thought it was going to be.

“…Hey.” Baekhyun spoke as he slowly approached them.

“Hey.” Sehun’s lips answered him, “So look, I’m going to make this short. I just wanted to let you know that me and Junmyeon are dating now. I know we kind of had a thing before, but I’m over it.”

Sehun didn’t even want to look at Baekhyun’s face, he couldn’t stand seeing the sadness he knew was there. He had never felt such a painful feeling in his heart before, he could only imagine Baekhyun’s was much worse. However, to his surprise, Baekhyun didn’t take long to answer him, his voice stern and harsh.

“You’re not Sehun.”

“Really, is it that hard for you to believe?” Junmyeon scoffed.

“Sehun wouldn’t do this…” Baekhyun answered in a trembling voice, “…Sehun wouldn’t do this to me.”

Sehun slowly turned to look over at Baekhyun, wishing he could tell him he was right. He wanted to hold him, to kiss him, to make that expression go away. 

“Sehun, I know you can kick out spirits who are in your body. Kick him out. Kick him out right now!” Baekhyun shouted, tears growing in his eyes.

Each word Baekhyun said was like a stab to Sehun’s heart. He wished he never told Baekhyun about his ability to kick them out, because now it only made it seem like he was choosing not to.

“Sorry, there’s no spirit.” The spirit responded, a smirk on his face, “It’s me Puppy.”

Baekhyun immediately let out a heartbroken sob, the word puppy too much for him to handle. Sehun stared over at Junmyeon in shock, he couldn’t believe he even told the spirit to use his special nickname.

“Well, we need to get going. Sehun has lots of work to do transferring to my school.” Junmyeon responded coldly.

_“You asshole!”_ Sehun shouted, glaring at Junmyeon furiously, “I’ll never forgive you for this! Never!”

Junmyeon glared back at him before he started to tug on Sehun’s arm, pulling the spirit to leave with him. Baekhyun melted to the ground slowly, continuing to cry pathetic tears. Sehun knelt down next to him, wishing he could hold onto him. He watched him for a long moment, feeling the same sadness.

_“Don’t cry Baekhyun. Please, you were right Baekhyun, that’s not me. I’m right here Baekhyun.”_ Sehun cried back.

Reaching out to him, Sehun’s hand entered Baekhyun’s body, going through him as if he were a puff of smoke. However, Sehun noticed something different than the time he tried to enter Baekhyun’s body before. Baekhyun’s spirit was broken, no strength left in his mind to defend himself.

Sehun instantly took the chance to enter Baekhyun’s body, their minds merging together to become one. Baekhyun shivered as he felt a strange sensation come over him, until his body was suddenly no longer under control of his mind. Sehun looked down at his hands, recognizing them as the tiny delicate ones he loved so much.

_“Baekhyun, it’s me. It’s Sehun.”_ Sehun quickly spoke to Baekhyun inside his mind.

Baekhyun felt a tingle in his brain, the intimacy of Sehun’s voice in his thoughts something he had never experienced before.

_“Sehun?”_ Baekhyun asked, recognizing his voice.

_“Yes, it’s me Puppy. You were right, that wasn’t me. Junmyeon had some spirit to take over my body.”_

_“What? But how?”_

_“He has a talisman that’s preventing me from entering it again. I need to take it off. Then everything will be ok Puppy, don’t worry.”_

Baekhyun could feel the hope and warmth from Sehun’s thoughts, trusting him, he knew everything would be alright, _“Ok.”_

Sehun stood up, amused for a brief moment about Baekhyun’s short height. At last he finally got to see what the world was like from his perspective. Running quickly, he chased after the direction Junmyeon left in.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Junmyeon tugged on Sehun’s arm, trying to pull him down, “Come on, kiss me.”

The spirit shoved Junmyeon away, staring at him with a disturbed expression, “Look, I only agreed to turn down that kid for you. I never agreed to being your boyfriend.”

“Excuse me?!” Junmyeon started, anger already booming in his voice, “I’m the one who gave you this body! Now you’re going to listen to me and do what I say!”

“Sorry, I’m not doing that. I’m stronger than you anyway, you can’t force me to do anything.”

They were both abruptly torn from the argument as Baekhyun (more like Sehun) jumped onto the spirit’s back. Searching his clothes, Sehun quickly found the talisman. He ripped it off his shirt, proceeding to quickly tear it apart. Junmyeon watched in horror, shouting at Baekhyun.

“No!!”

Sehun didn’t waste any time leaving Baekhyun’s body, instantly reentering his own. With a powerfully motivated strength in his spirit, Sehun was easily able to evict the spirit possessing him, and once again regained control of his body.

Junmyeon could see the spirit leave Sehun’s body, and his face cringed painfully, realizing it was over. Sehun reached for Baekhyun’s hand, holding onto it tightly as he spoke to Junmyeon.

“You know I hate to say this…But I have no other words for you…” Sehun began, sadness in his voice more than any other emotion, “Goodbye Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon only hesitated for a moment, anger the most prominent expression on his face. He couldn’t even make himself answer, and turned to walk away without a word. Sehun watched him sadly, wishing it hadn’t come to this. Baekhyun squeezed his hand, noticing how upset he was.

“I’m sorry Sehun.”

Sehun took a deep breath, pausing for a moment before he turned to look at Baekhyun. He pulled Baekhyun closer to himself, hugging him tightly.

“I’m sorry Baekhyun. I hated to see you so upset.”

Baekhyun blushed, for the first time realizing that Sehun must have been watching him, “…It’s ok. You’re back now.”

Sehun slowly lowered his head, giving Baekhyun a tender kiss. Baekhyun felt his cheeks getting hotter, and wrapped his arms around Sehun, stepping on his tip toes to deepen the kiss. They held it for a long moment, both of them needing comfort after the traumatic experience.

“Let’s talk after school, ok Puppy?” Sehun spoke warmly after pulling his lips away.

Baekhyun nodded shyly, his cheeks still visibly red, “Ok.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Chanyeol and Jongin walked together slowly, leaving Baekhyun behind as he waited for Sehun after school. They were quiet for a long time, both of them silently excited for Baekhyun that he was going to be with someone. They just wanted Baekhyun to be happy, and finally realized Sehun was indeed the person that was going to make him feel that way.

At last Jongin spoke, amusement in his voice, “Well, I guess it’s our turn now. But I’d rather not fight over someone again with you, so I’ll just give up. You can have Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol stopped moving, and remained silent as he stared at Jongin for a long time.

“What is it?” Jongin asked, “Are you that surprised I gave up?”

Suddenly, before Jongin even understood what was happening, he felt Chanyeol’s arms around him, pulling their bodies together as Chanyeol planted a kiss on his lips. There was an uncomfortable awkward moment as they kept their lips smashed together, until Chanyeol finally pulled away. Jongin was clearly confused, his eyes wide in shock as he stared at Chanyeol.

“Here’s the truth.” Chanyeol spoke, embarrassment in his voice, “…You were my first crush.”

“…W-What?” Jongin asked, still in a daze. 

“But then you told me you liked Baekhyun…So I gave up. And then I started liking Baekhyun too…But I never really got over you. I was going to try and move on with Kyungsoo, but if you’re giving up on him, then I’m finally coming out with my feelings.”

Jongin stared blankly at Chanyeol, never seeing an expression on his friend’s face like the one Chanyeol was wearing right then. He looked so confident.

Without answering, Jongin suddenly lunged forward, returning a kiss to Chanyeol. Chanyeol was surprised at first, but quickly held onto Jongin again, enjoying the kiss.

“Ok, let’s try it.”  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Baekhyun waited patiently on a bench for Sehun to arrive, all the other students already gone after their classes. Sehun had told him where to wait, and that he’d probably be a little late. Baekhyun didn’t mind waiting though, as long as it was for Sehun, he would have waited for days.

Eventually he spotted Sehun coming towards him with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Baekhyun smiled to himself, biting on his lip in happy anticipation of the gift. Sehun came right up to him, standing in front of him with an embarrassed expression. Baekhyun giggled a little, enjoying Sehun’s shy face as he stood up to greet him.

“Don’t laugh Puppy.” Sehun sighed, “I’m being serious right now.”

Baekhyun bit down on his lip harder as he tried to stop himself, taking the flowers from Sehun as he handed them to him. Baekhyun brought them to his face, smelling the sweet fragrance in happiness.

Sehun smiled as he watched Baekhyun, loving the combination of the beautiful flowers with Baekhyun’s soft face. He noticed how much Baekhyun always loved receiving flowers, and remembered the time Baekhyun even told him he could learn a thing or two from Doyoon on how to be romantic. Taking the hint, Sehun knew this was Baekhyun’s ideal way of being confessed to.

“I love you Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun pulled the flowers away, looking up into Sehun’s eyes. Even though he was slightly prepared for those words, it still grabbed hold of his heart, making him swell up in emotion. He leapt towards Sehun, wrapping his arms around him as his eyes filled with happy tears. Sehun wrapped his arms around Baekhyun as well, hugging him tightly. They snuggled against each other in joy, until Baekhyun finally answered him, tears in his voice.

“I love you Sehun.”

Sehun smiled, pressing a kiss on Baekhyun’s cheek, “I guess I’ll have to change your nickname.”

“What? Why?” Baekhyun asked, pulling away to look at Sehun’s face, “I like you calling me Puppy.”

Sehun smirked, taking a moment to enjoy Baekhyun’s panicked expression, “Because you’re _my Puppy_ now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!! This story was a fun project for me, I didn't have much of it planned out when I posted the first chapter, and I came up with it as I went. I don't usually do that ha ha. 
> 
> Thanks again! I really hope you enjoyed this last chapter and the story as a whole!


	17. My Puppy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special bonus chapter for reaching 100 subscribers on AFF~

Baekhyun walked up the front stairs, a bounce in his step as he approached the door. He was tired only a few minutes ago, but the happiness of seeing Sehun always gave him energy, along with the anticipation of relaxing at home.

Sehun’s parents had purchased this small house for them, a quaint residence that was perfectly adequate for the two of them. Since Baekhyun’s family wasn’t nearly as wealthy as Sehun’s, they contributed in a smaller way by giving Sehun and Baekhyun frequent gifts of household items. The house was located close to the college they were both attending, purposely chosen for convenience while they finished school.

Baekhyun swung open the door, immediately spotting Sehun sitting on the couch watching some TV. Sehun smiled as he looked over at Baekhyun, and put down the TV remote to stretch open his arms.

“Come here my Puppy.”

Baekhyun smiled as well, running over to Sehun to jump onto his lap and snuggle against him. Sehun wrapped his arms tightly around him, placing a few kisses on his cheek. They cuddled together for a while in silence, both of them relaxing comfortably. Sehun caressed Baekhyun’s back, rubbing his hand up and down slowly as he closed his eyes. Eventually Baekhyun flipped his head over to rest against Sehun’s chest on his opposite cheek.

With his new vision of the back of the house, Baekhyun stared at the sliding door leading to the back yard curiously, noticing something new. A panel had been added, with a small square at the bottom, covered with a flap.

“Is that a dog door?” Baekhyun asked, continuing to stare at it.

“Oh yeah, I thought my Puppy might appreciate it.” Sehun smirked, moving his hands down Baekhyun’s body to hold onto his waist, “I don’t know if your wide hips will fit through there though.”

“Is this one of your jokes?!” Baekhyun huffed, sitting up to look at Sehun’s face.

“What else?” Sehun asked playfully.

“You put too much effort into these!” Baekhyun whined, his lips adorably pouting as he smacked Sehun’s arm.

Sehun began laughing, unable to resist after witnessing Baekhyun’s expression. Baekhyun glared at his boyfriend before lunging his head forward to bite on his shoulder. Sehun quickly stopped laughing, enjoying the feeling as he looked down at his tiny boyfriend gnawing on him. Sehun smiled, watching him for a moment before pulling Baekhyun closer, taking advantage of Baekhyun’s exposed neck. Moving slowly, he placed soft kisses on his neck, nibbling him lightly in-between the presses of his lips.

Baekhyun backed away, smacking Sehun again, “No, you don’t get kisses for this!”

Sehun smirked, holding Baekhyun in place with his strong arms as Baekhyun tried to get off his lap, “You know I can’t resist when you bite me.”

“Because you’re a pervert.” Baekhyun huffed as he turned his head, stopping his struggle to get away.

Sehun’s smirk grew longer, staring at Baekhyun lustfully, “And you love this pervert.”

Baekhyun turned his head further away, closing his eyes as he refused to look at Sehun with playful defiance. Sehun licked his lips, staring at Baekhyun briefly before sitting up, holding Baekhyun close in his arms as he whispered to him softly.

“Looks like my Puppy still needs obedience training.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile at these words, but he tried his best to hide it from Sehun, turning his head more. Sehun grabbed his chin, forcing him to turn his face back as he pressed their lips together in a kiss. They held the kiss only for a short moment before Baekhyun started giggling on their lips, unable to fight back his amusement anymore. Sehun laughed lightly as well, pulling away to look at Baekhyun’s expression.

“You hungry?” Sehun asked, realizing their game was over.

“Yeah, can we get some pizza?”

“Of course, I love your thick hips.”

“Yah!” Baekhyun shouted angrily, assaulting Sehun with a furry of smacks to his arms.

Sehun burst out laughing, not even bothering trying to stop his boyfriend as he attacked him. After all, he was hoping Baekhyun would react like this. He hoped Baekhyun would always react this way when he teased him.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

An obnoxious beeping sound awoke Baekhyun from his comfortable dream, and he mumbled in annoyance as he reached out to press the button on his phone to stop it. Blinking his eyes, he slowly became conscious of his surroundings, feeling Sehun’s arm wrapped around his waist. Rolling over, he cuddled up against Sehun’s chest, wishing he didn’t have to get up.

“Good morning my Puppy.” Sehun yawned, squeezing Baekhyun in his arms.

“No.” Baekhyun answered with an audible pout.

Sehun smiled, kissing Baekhyun’s cheek, “Come on, I got up early and made you some breakfast.”

“What? You did?” Baekhyun asked, not even realizing that Sehun had got out of bed at some point.

“Yeah, it’s in the kitchen.”

Baekhyun smiled brightly, snuggling against Sehun before giving him a kiss, “I love you.”

Sehun kissed him back, reaching down to squeeze Baekhyun’s butt, “I love you my Puppy, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Baekhyun nodded, quickly getting out of bed in excitement of eating breakfast. He threw on his clothes, not even bothering to adjust them before leaving their bedroom. He stepped into the kitchen, yawning as he made his way towards the table. And then he paused, spotting two dog bowls sitting on the floor, one filled with his breakfast and the other with water. Glaring at them for a moment, he suddenly began shouting.

“Sehun!!”

“What is it my Puppy?” Sehun shouted back from the other room, already knowing what Baekhyun was upset about and trying his best to hold back the amusement in his voice.

“Come here!” Baekhyun answered, huffing after he spoke.

Sehun came out of the bedroom, interrupted from getting dressed. He was only wearing a pair of jeans, and his well toned upper body was exposed. He smirked as he made his way over to Baekhyun, reaching out his arms to hold onto him. Pulling Baekhyun close, he began to kiss on his neck, pausing to speak softly on his skin.

“What’s wrong?”

Baekhyun quickly pointed at the bowls on the floor, “These!”

Sehun laughed lightly against Baekhyun’s neck before moving his head to whisper in his ear, “But I love it when you get on all fours.”

Baekhyun didn’t wait long after hearing Sehun’s words to attack him with his mouth, biting on Sehun’s muscular arm. Sehun laughed again, watching Baekhyun as he spoke.

“Puppy, you’ve covered me with so many bite marks, I had to wear a long sleeve shirt the other day even though it was so hot out.”

“Serves you right.” Baekhyun answered as he pulled away, a playful scolding tone in his voice.

Sehun continued laughing, reaching for Baekhyun’s sides to start tickling him. Baekhyun burst out into laughter as well, trying to fight Sehun to get away. Sehun began kissing him as Baekhyun struggled in his arms, loving listening to Baekhyun’s laugh.

“Ok ok, I need to hurry.” Baekhyun gasped as he broke away.

“You better eat then.” Sehun smirked.

“I’m not eating out of those! Put it on a plate for me!” Baekhyun huffed, walking back into the bedroom to finish getting ready.

Sehun smiled as he watched Baekhyun disappear, hesitating briefly before he went over and grabbed the bowls. Hungry himself, he stole a few bites before transferring the food onto a plate.  
  
  


————————————————————

 

Sehun heard Baekhyun’s car pull up to their house, and he went over to the door, opening it to greet Baekhyun as he came inside. Baekhyun smiled as he stepped out of the car, happy to see Sehun waiting for him.

“How was class?” Sehun asked as Baekhyun walked towards him.

“Fine, tiring as usual.” Baekhyun answered, stepping next to Sehun and wrapping his arms around him to hug him.

Sehun wrapped his arms around him as well, kissing the top of his head, “Come on, let’s go relax.”

Baekhyun smiled, snuggling against Sehun before he broke away from their hug to follow Sehun. Sehun held his hand, leading him over to the couch to sit down. Baekhyun went to sit on Sehun’s lap, but Sehun stopped him, patting on the seat next to him.

“Sit here.”

Baekhyun tilted his head a little, “Why? I want to sit on your lap.”

“You’ll see, just sit down.”

Baekhyun lowered his eyelids, staring at Sehun suspiciously, “What’s going on?”

Sehun reached forward and grabbed Baekhyun’s hand, pulling him to sit next to him.

“Close your eyes.” Sehun smiled, reaching forward to gently shut Baekhyun’s eyelids.

“Sehun I swear, if this is another joke…” Baekhyun answered, obediently keeping his eyes closed. 

“It’s not a joke.” Sehun continued smiling as he backed away, “I’ll be right back.”

Baekhyun listened to Sehun’s footsteps leave the room, and he started to get a little excited as he wondered what Sehun was doing. Returning to the room, Baekhyun could hear Sehun coming back over to him. Once he was standing in front of Baekhyun, he kneeled down.

“Hold out your hands.” Sehun instructed him.

Baekhyun smiled a little, holding out his hands like his boyfriend told him to. He was very excited now, hoping Sehun had gotten him some kind of surprise. Sehun gently placed something in his hands, and Baekhyun instantly noticed it felt…fuzzy.

Not wanting to wait anymore, Baekhyun opened his eyes, and discovered a tiny corgi puppy in his hands. His heart instantly melted, completely falling in love with the adorable creature’s face. The puppy startled wiggling in his arms, excited to get pet. Baekhyun immediately obliged, scratching him lightly as the puppy hopped up to lick his face.

“Sehuuun.” Baekhyun whined, his eyes filling with tears as the puppy continued licking him.

Sehun smiled, happily watching Baekhyun’s expression, “Yes my Puppy?”

“I love you you big jerk.” Baekhyun cried a little, mad that he had fallen for Sehun’s pranks.

Sehun leaned forward, giving Baekhyun a kiss, “I love you Baek.”

“He’s adorable…or she. Which is it?” Baekhyun asked, continuing to pet the tiny corgi.

“Look at it’s name tag.”

Baekhyun hadn’t even noticed the tag yet, and went to grab it curiously, holding the small piece of metal in his hands to read it. Baekhyun bit down on his lip, tearing up even more as he read it. Engraved on the tag was a name that was very significant to both of them. A name that belonged to someone they owed a great deal to.  
  
 _Doyoon_  
  
“…That’s a perfect name.” Baekhyun answered, sniffling a little.

Sehun smiled, reaching up to pet Doyoon as well. The puppy was very excited to get attention from them both, and hopped back and forth between them to lick both their faces. Baekhyun began to giggle, loving the antics of the energetic little dog.

“He takes after you.” Sehun teased, “He even got your short chubby legs.”

Baekhyun smacked him, still laughing in joy, “Shut up.”

Sehun got up to sit next to Baekhyun, holding onto him tightly and kissing his cheek. Baekhyun snuggled against Sehun, kissing him back.

“Thank you Sehun.”


End file.
